Athena and Dexter lead a happy family ilfe, sheltered from the tackier aspects of the modern world and bound by duty towards a disturbed child. Their comfortable rut is disrupted by the arrival of Elizabeth, a tough nut from Dexter's past, and those she brings with her. In the ensuing upheaval Athena sees a way out: it leads into a world she has dreamed of, without being able to imagine its consequences.