Into the quiet, residential cul-de-sac of Woodfall Gardens came Mrs. Hilliard's new lodger - charming, gay, ageless Roland Roland. To most of the residents he was a welcome addition to their group, a memento of the world outside.

To Pilar Galway - young, lovely, impressionable - he was glamor and excitement and, she thought, real love at last. But to Michael Marsh, who had adored Pilar ever since he could remember, he was a bitter reminder of the fragility of love.

Behind the dazzle of Roland Roland's exotic charm, the seeds of madness were taking root, soon to blossom into a monstrous flower of evil bent on destroying the life of an innocent girl....