Adam Goodman and his sister Hilary Pope inhabit different worlds. Adam teaches at the local college, Hilary owns a rundown hill farm she would like to sell.

Adam agrees one summer to look after the farm for her while she goes on holiday, but his days in charge at Foolsmeadow Grange soon expose him to the kind of world his job keeps at bay... He finds the experience deeply unsettling.

Moreover, when it comes to explaining the actions of the Verity family whose members' paths variously intersect or influence his own that summer, Adam finds himself both beguiled and, ultimately, at a loss. His days at the farm culminate in tragedy for which he feels somehow to blame.

If only he'd stayed away, stayed in his own cloistered world!