Life in Violet is the story of Violet McKay, a psychotherapist who does not understand the full emotional impact of events of her early childhood and the way they have shaped her life, especially relationships with men. She was orphaned young and went to live with her uncle, a doctor, who treated her like a sexual object. Her uncle's live-in nurse and housekeeper, Violet's surrogate mother, abandons Violet when she, too, becomes the object of the doctor's attentions. It is the 1980s when there are no words to validate either of their experiences. Violet lives alone in a house overlooking the ocean, relying only upon herself. Her relationships are mostly with colleagues and clients. Whenever distressed, Violet either soaks in her bathtub or writes in her journal, seeking "connections and meanings, looking for new light into the mystery of life. Her life. Her clients' lives." At a professional conference, Violet meets an Episcopal priest who lives near her own home. He soon becomes her confidante and support, introducing her to puzzling notions about God. Relationships with an actor and a widower reveal Violet's confused sense about what makes for a healthy relationship with a man. It takes a chance encounter with a predatory psychiatrist, leading to an obsession, to break open her past and reveal her own deep need for healing.