Jean, Michael and Steph are three reluctant loners Damaged and fearful of life, they cannot survive alone for much longer A mixture of deceit, good luck and misfortune draw them together to Walden Manor, a secluded country house that promises sanctuary and freedom from destitution Out of an invented past they shape a beautiful present Does it really matter if their sense of safety is built on delusion? When the idyll is threatened, they discover that because their lives are now worth living, they are also worth preserving, although at an appalling cost