The Seashore Boarding House, nestled in the woods on the rocky shore of Pocomoonshine Bay in the late 'twenties, is a haven for travellers on the lonely dirt road nearby, and for the villagers and workers of the woods communities, offering shelter, food, first aid, abortions, and the comforts of its girls. At the centre of the house and its operations is the enigmatic figure of Nurse, who tells her girls, "You are nurses, as well as chamber maids, cooks, waitresses, and prostitutes." A naive young lawyer, Duncan Strathearn, stumbles into this amoral world when he loses control of his car as...