Tabitha is hiding from her own mistakes in a remote house on the Ile de Re when she discovers another woman has secretly taken refuge there. The stranger is Emily Marr, once a familiar face in the British media but now frightened, exhausted and determined not to be found. As the women form an uneasy connection, Emily reveals how a public scandal destroyed her reputation, relationships and sense of safety. Tabitha is drawn into the story but begins questioning what Emily has omitted and whether helping her could create new danger. The island's quiet isolation becomes increasingly tense as past decisions catch up with both women. The novel examines shame, media judgement, deception and how far someone might go to disappear from a life that has become unbearable.