While enduring the effect of his girlfriend's deception, and then being made redundant from a job he loves, Luke Harvey fears he is heading for a mental breakdown. With the help of a psychotherapist and an unexpectedly large inheritance, Luke buys a house with a mysteriously benevolent atmosphere. Immersing himself in finishing a novel he wrote years before, and determined to publish it, he becomes reclusive and protective of his cherished privacy and solitude. Until he meets Ellie Vernon ...