Dee Rickwood lives in London, having run away from an apparently idyllic life with her uncle, a celebrated haute couture designer, after the intrusion on the scene of Rohan's 'muse', model Stella Avery. Years later Dee is forced by Rohan's death to look again at her past, to dig beneath the surface of the idyll.

Diana Rickwood's isolated childhood by the sea with her uncle, Rohan, a celebrated Fashion Designer, is dramatically shaken up by the arrival of Rohan's 'muse' model Stella Avery. Diana severs her links with her past and moves to London, trying her best to forget. But ten years on, Rohan's sudden death forces her to look again at that past, to dig beneath the surface. What she finds is shocking; a web of secrets and half truths that hide a family shame - but also reveal a poignant hidden love story.