This intoxicating tale of marriage, desire, and betrayal introduces one of the most irresistible heroines of recent fiction. She is Hannie Bennet, a battle-scarred divorcée and widow who embarks upon her fifth marriage with a clear objective: to put a roof over her head and food in her stomach. But Hannie's relationship with aging Ned appears doomed from the start. In the unnervingly tranquil Irish countryside where the couple settles, an unwelcome visitor - the embodiment of a secret past - not only threatens their chance at a life of quiet accommodation but menaces the entire community. Ultimately, it is up to Hannie, facing the most difficult choice a mother could ever confront, to prevent a deadly finale.