When art dealer Catherine Sergeant meets John Dolman, her view of the world has been shattered. Left by her husband Robert without explanation, she expects little from life. Apparently reclusive, John lives alone in a beautiful Arts and Crafts house on the edge of Dorset woodland, and has contacted Catherine's firm so that he may sell unwanted items. But when the two discover a mutual love of the haunting Victorian faerie artist Richard Dadd, their friendship rapidly deepens. As Catherine and John begin an affair that is to change their lives, Johne reveals an astonishing secret that links him to Dadd.