After the sudden death of her husband, Annie Devereaux flees to England, where a chance encounter leads her move in with Julian, the disaffected, moody son of a famous British geneticist. Their relationship progresses, but the more she uncovers about Julian's past, the more he explodes into rage and violence. Finally tearing herself away, Annie winds up adrift in London, rescued from her loneliness only when she and Julian's sister Isabel form an unexpected bond. The family who once embodied Annie's idealised conception of England is actually caught in a nightmare of betrayal and guilt that spirals inexorably into tragedy.