A compelling family saga begins with tragedy and loss leading to new beginnings.  From his childhood home of Henley Hall in Kent, England, Kenneth Henley and his four children struggle with the death of his wife and their mother after a long illness.  In the months ahead he must help his son Stephen deal with his conflicted emotions and assist his daughter Alicia deal with her "fantasy" mother.  Taking on a new appointment as Master of the College, Kenneth also faces difficulties with the new writer-in-residence, a woman who makes no bones about her dislike of his privileged upper-class heritage and his apparent playboy lifestyle.   As Kenneth comes to peace within himself, a new romantic relationship looms on the horizon.  But their new-found joy is clouded by an unexpected danger to both.  There is a mystery to be solved and serious decisions to be made.  While it is not of their making, it embroils them completely and threatens to undermine their belief in their own country.