This is a novel of delusion and self-knowledge, tradition and change, loss and identity in which the pace, plotting, characterization, and dialogue are as faultless as we expect from Humphreys. Aled Morgan and his wife flee to Tuscany to escape a family tragedy. Yet, even immersed in Etruscan culture, he finds that friendships aren't all they seem, and even his wife has become distant. He isn't even sure he knows himself any more. When he returns home, he is sadder and more experienced but in many ways no wiser.