Three women seek to escape the clutches of the past. Cass Evesham, one of the few women stockbrokers in the city, is reeling from the abrupt ending of an affair when she gets even more shocking news: the grandmother whom she thought dead is a celebrated murderess, just released on parole.Cass' grandmother, Livia Claughton, moves into a safe house under an assumed name. Livia finds it hard to adjust to her new life, and to accept help from those who can't even begin to imagine the reality of the last twenty-five years in prison. It has been, in fact, long punishment for a very different crime from the one for which she was convicted. Julia Gainsborough, actress daughter of the famous diva killed in her prime, is determined to restart her flagging career--and settle some of her demons--by starring in a cycle of revenge plays. After all, the publicity could hardly be greater.In a Cumbrian village, remote from London, their stories intertwine in a pacy, powerful novel that explores questions about the roots of violence and the potential for change.