Vary Carmichael arrives at her cousin Jeff's holiday home in Brittany for what she hopes will be a relaxing week en route to Spain and Italy. But she isn't prepared for the formidable presence of stern, forceful Thorne, who also appears to be staying there. Thorne makes it clear that he does not want Vary there, yet he forbids her to leave -- and he clearly has the strength to see his threats through. Who is he? What is the nature of his mysterious work, which demands such isolation and secrecy? And why is Vary so devastatingly attracted to a man whom she doesn't trust?