Marshwood. A tumbledown nineteenth century house, clinging to a windswept hill in Dorset — once grand and beautiful, now falling to pieces. It has been home to Bella Langton for years and she cannot bear to part with it. The only person able to rescue Marshwood is Bella's granddaughter, Isla. In a desperate attempt to convey how important the house is, Bella begins to tell Isla about her early years there, trapped in a loveless marriage, and her forbidden love for a young French fighter pilot. Bella's story evokes strong feelings in Isla and she begins to tell her grandmother of her own troubled marriage, and of her secret feelings for her childhood sweetheart Jack, a war photographer with a tragic story of his own. Before they know it, both Bella and Isla are revealing startling truths about their lives that will shake their family to its very core. And as they unravel family mysteries and reveal secret affairs, one question rises to the fore: Can you ever really go back and start again?