Watching the British visitors arrive from her own terrace is Anna Viola, whose family has lived for centuries in the crumbling red brick farmhouse above Il Vignacce. As a little girl during the war, Anna watched an Englishman arrive at the house, seeking shelter from the Germans. His appearance would change her life for ever; it still haunts the family home she holds in trust for her beloved son Paolo. The apparently peaceful Italian countryside holds as many secrets as its visitors and, before the week is out, the past and the present will collide, with unexpected and dramatic results …