The house opposite the church, overlooking the Cornish coast, is home to three generations of Tremains. Fred Tremain, the country doctor, came to this beautiful corner of England with his wife, Martha. Difficult and determined Anna, their eldest child, is now a successful barrister and their easy-going son Barnaby is vicar to the parish. Also making her home there is Lucy, their beloved granddaughter. And it is Lucy whose discoveries of family papers, hidden in the old attics, brings to light the first of the long-hidden secrets. As each layer is unwrapped, the family start to question the price paid for the upheavals caused by violence, wars and prejudice today and yesterday and unlock the way to new relationships and new loves. This haunting story is inspired by the real experiences of a woman the author met while walking in her beloved Cornwall. The reader is drawn into the lyrical coastline descriptions and absorbed into the changed lives and conflicts of this family as Marthas past draws closer.