The night had passed, and though they had not undressed and they had not slept and there had been only kisses between them, the intimacy had been accomplished and the sin committed, and Nona knew there would be no escaping that. Nona longs for purpose, order and dignity. But this ideal constantly eludes her. At an artists' retreat, where she plans to finally get down to writing her book, she meets a man who she intuitively mistrusts - and yet begins an intense affair with him. Abandoning her happy marriage, she flies across the country to pursue him, an act which threatens to unravel her life and relationships. But in the aftermath of calamity, she wonders if she can finally find an answer to the essential question: how should she live?