In 1969, Frances Jellico arrives at Lyntons, a crumbling English country house, charged by its new American owner with surveying the estate gardens. There, she meets two other temporary residents: Peter, hired to research the house and its architecture, and his wife, Cara. Having spent most of her life in the company of her overbearing mother, Frances is standoffish at first…but gradually Peter and Cara's warmth draws her in. The unexpected friendship—Frances's first as an adult—makes for an idyllic summer, filled with leisurely alfresco meals and long walks through the countryside. But as Frances learns more about Peter and Cara's past (and slowly reveals her own to the reader), cracks begin to appear in the friendly façade. This slow-burning novel ratchets up the tension in tiny increments, its sun-drenched setting becoming increasingly oppressive as the pages turn…until a shocking confrontation changes all three lives forever.