When Harriet Rothman's father dies suddenly leaving her penniless, the chance of renting out the family house, Swallow Grange, seems a temporary soulution to her immediate financial problems. But by renting Swallow Grange to young widower Martin Blake, Harriet exposes herself to Blake's private, tormented world - and that of his autistic son, Peter. Unlike Martin's sister-in-law, Molly, Harriet has a way with Peter and she willingly postpones her university studies to care for the boy. But Molly's jealousy, Martin's worry and Peter's needs weigh heavily upon her, as do the expectations of Justin, her husband to be...