The older Cazalet cousins, now in their twenties, are trying to piece their lives together in the aftermath of the war whilst having to engage, painfully, with their parents as people for the very first time. Louise's father Edward is desperate for her to like his mistress and her mother is beside herself with pain at his betrayal. And Clary needs to understand exactly why her beloved father chose to stay in France long after it was safe for him to return home.
Meanwhile the girls' own affairs are far from straightforward. Both Polly and Clary have fallen madly in love with much older men, both wildly unsuitable for different reasons. And Louise, stuck in a loveless marriage, is candidly considering her own options, as well as tending to her own, very private, grief.
