All her life Alice has had to fight to survive. As a child she was sexually abused by the family priest; later she struggled to cope with the death of her sister. But when she marries the wealthy and dangerous Paddy Lynch, she discovers the darkness of his own emotional pain.

In this haunting first novel, William Wall depicts the lives of a group of friends and the strategies they adopt to survive in a rapidly changing society. Wealth and power appear to bind them, but it is wealth gained at an intolerable price and power that is little more than the ability to inflict pain. The world of Alice Falling is full of glittering lies and sordid truths, dangerous loves and distant friendships. It builds inexorably to an explosive, "Thelma and Louise"-style ending that will stay with the reader long after the last page and marks the debut of a distinctive and masterly novelist.