Loss of job and marriage has laid Harry low. Arriving on the east coast, he finds solace in the bucolic lifestyle of his wily, old mentor, Moses, though he is soon side-tracked by the delicate, young Grace.

Tutoring sessions develop into a quest for adventure and a summer of rare happiness and exploration. Sadly, life's joy fades into autumnal uncertainty and winter harshness.

Harry seeks to repair broken relationships and to develop new ones with the beguiling form tutor, Molly, and Grace's enigmatic mother, Elizabeth. The reasons behind Elizabeth's restrained manner and anxiety become apparent as her life-spoiling stalker appears, leading to a desperate, cliff-top confrontation between this despot and Harry.