Laura Jamieson and Jem Walker are both haunted by tragic past events. When they meet in the Yorkshire Dales, Laura is still fragile from a controlling and abusive relationship, and Jem is struggling to reintegrate into the rural society where he was born, after spending years as a friar trying to come to terms with his past.
Sharing a passionate love of the natural world and showing sensitivity to humans and animals alike, they seem to be a perfect couple, but will their deep feelings of guilt and unworthiness prove to be an insurmountable barrier? And will the host of unanswered questions which haunt Jem ever be answered?