In December 1989, Tess and Mungo spot each other while supporting The Parade of Innocence in Dublin. Their paths continue to cross, and eventually they meet in The Winding Stair Bookshop & Cafe overlooking the Liffey at the Ha'Penny Bridge, both of them wary of the other and troubled by guilt. Tess has separated from her husband and left her son behind, Mungo almost killed his son in a fire by dropping a cigarette while drunk. Reluctant to reveal their true selves and circumstances, Tess concocts a life in Berlin, and Mungo picks up on her stratagem, inventing a life in Barcelona. Their...