A beautitul woman in her early thirties, Mary Lavery, nee Dunne lives in New York and is happily married to a much feted British playing playwright. But before this there have been other lives, two previous husbands, and a Catholic girlhood filled with suppressed passion. A brief encounter with an old friend brings back a sudden flood of memories from the past - memories which confuse and disturb... Female desire and sexuality, and the elusive nature of identity are brilliantly explored in this novel which glimmers with insight and truth.