When Dr. Hugh Clore, a literature professor of precarious means and obsessive temperament, becomes the lodger of the boyish and beautiful Arthur Rose he's instantly besotted. Recently orphaned, Arthur drifts through a life of claustrophobic privilege, having inherited his parents' wealth and a grand Georgian terraced house on Highbury Fields. Hugh plots to make Arthur fall in love with him, adopting the role of mentor and taking charge of Arthur s education. But his carefully laid plans are disrupted when Arthur s girlfriend, Georgia Groad, moves in. At twenty-one, a year older than Arthur, Georgia becomes Hugh's nemesis - an obstacle to his aspic paradise. Hugh, delusional but effective in his manipulations, sets his sights on Georgia, drawing her into his orbit as his second pupil, scheming to replace her in Arthur's life. One thing is for certain: it can't end well.