Olivia Giorgiadis has left her English roots behind to find refuge on the tiny Greek island of Halemni. She is married to a Greek man, mother to two small sons. As the turquoise of summer dissolves into the cool of autumn, so the rhythm of island life goes on unchanged. Until this year. An earthquake ravages the Turkish coast, sending a tidal wave to envelop the island. Its force devastates Halmeni, tearing apart the fabric of the small community. In the aftermath a stranger appears. Kitty, an Englishwoman, is alone and without possessions. She accepts Olivia's offer of refuge in the potter's house. But Kitty guards her past as preciously as Olivia protects her young family. The arrival of Olivia's brother threatens the fragile equilibrium. Olivia begins to feel prickles of claustrophobia. Kitty yearns for the love and security Olivia takes for granted. But that life can never be hers. Or can it? Must the past always determine the future..?