Afterabombdestroysarailwaycarriage,thefoursurvivorsrepairtothevillaofone,Mrs.Delahunty,awriterofromancenovels,awomanwithapast.TheothersareanagingBritishgeneral,ayoungGermanman,andAimee,anAmericangirlorphanedintheblast.AsthesefourstrangersrecoverinUmbria'scountrysideandbecomefriends,Aimee'suncle,acoldandchildlessacademicwhostudiesredcarpenterants,arrivestofetchher.Mrs.DelahuntyfearsthismaynotbeinAimee'sbestinterests,beginstodrinkheavily,andfailsinherattemptstoconnectwithAimee'suncle.Meanwhile,apersistentdetectiveinvestigatestheblast.Writtenby<[email protected]>