After the death of his overpowering spouse, retired British social worker Jack Spinelli visits his two daughters on the East Coast of the United States and in Florida. Some completely unexpected events follow, including an astonishing romantic encounter with a woman less than half his age. He is forced to review some unanswered questions about his past, and to recognize that his life has been rather more exciting and dramatic than he would once have acknowledged. The bleak and unforgiving fenlands of eastern England have played a critical part in his story