Rhi Dobbs is head of the art department in a secondary school in Whittingbury, a small town on the south west coast of England. She has her dream job and lives in her own idyllic cottage by the sea with her cat Tibbs. Her life is more than she could ever hope for.

Ben Brooks is a loner who cares for his mum, who always makes him feel worthless. He is obsessed with a red-headed girl who he met several years ago, just once, on what was the worst day of his life. He lives his life vicariously through hers, until she does the unspeakable...

Tragic events and an inappropriate love affair mean that both of their lives will be changed forever.