In a silent valley stands an isolated stone farmhouse. Its owner is Aramon Lunel, an alcoholic so haunted by his violent past that he's let his hunting dogs starve and his land go to ruin. Meanwhile, his sister, alone in her modern bungalow within sight of the Mas Lunel, dreams of exacting retribution for the unspoken betrayals that have blighted her life. Into this closed world comes Anthony Verey, a wealthy but disillusioned antiques dealer from London. Anthony hopes to remake his life in France, and he begins looking at properties in the region. But, from the moment he arrives at the Mas Lunel, a frightening and unstoppable series of consequences is set in motion.

Rose Tremain's books have won many prizes including the Whitbread Novel of the Year, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Prix Femina Etranger, the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Angel Literary Award and the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction.

One of Britain's finest actresses, Juliet Stevenson has an established reputation on stage, television and film. She has appeared with the RSC in As You Like It, and as Madame de Tourvel in Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Film credits include Being Julia, The Last Hangman and Infamous, while on TV she played Flora in The Politician's Wife and Christine Shields in Hear the Silence.