My brother Rocco doesn't understand what I mean when I say that pleasure is polluted after the first time. I realize it can get more intense, but it doesn't get any better. Taking refuge in the attic room they have always shared, Isabel and Rocco spend their days eavesdropping on their parents' turbulent relationship, dissecting the intricacies of London life and discovering for themselves the 'first times' which will gradually pull them away from the simplicity of childhood. But when their parents suddenly and inexplicably abandon them, Isabel and Rocco find themselves alone - and free from the rules and restrictions of the adult world. As the house around them slowly begins to disintegrate, so too do the lines between adolescence and experience, and brother and sister retreat further and further from the threatening outside world. But when crisis looms, their ever-growing dependency on each other is put to the ultimate test.