Afterabombdestroysarailwaycarriage,thefoursurvivorsrepairtothevillaofone,MrsDelahunty,awriterofromancenovels,awomanwithapastTheothersareanagingBritishgeneral,ayoungGermanman,andAimee,anAmericangirlorphanedintheblastAsthesefourstrangersrecoverinUmbria'scountrysideandbecomefriends,Aimee'suncle,acoldandchildlessacademicwhostudiesredcarpenterants,arrivestofetchherMrsDelahuntyfearsthismaynotbeinAimee'sbestinterests,beginstodrinkheavily,andfailsinherattemptstoconnectwithAimee'suncleMeanwhile,apersistentdetectiveinvestigatestheblastWrittenby<jhailey@hotmailcom>