When Cath meets Michael in LA, she doesn't appreciate the importance of their first encounter. From a brief affair a compulsion develops, one that will influence her life for years to come, as she finds herself inexplicably drawn back to Michael again and again. She reveals her story to Ruby, her traveling companion in India, as she struggles to make sense of a relationship which brought great passion, but not necessarily love. This extremely accomplished debut novel is a superbly powerful rendering of love and obsession.