When a mother's life is haunted by a family secret her children can never discover, is her love a blessing or a curse?
Margaret is weighed down by the burden of a secret about her family's history. Her three children each learn different ways of dealing with her regular flares of anger as they grow to adulthood and forge their own paths.
Caroline, the peace-maker, becomes a wife and mother, gaining eventual contentment in her family life. Detached and independent, Matthew pursues a successful career in botany, surrounding himself with friends and family on his organic smallholding. Chloe, a skilled violinist and her mother's adored favourite, cannot escape Margaret's cloying influence and struggles to stay afloat as her life spirals into mayhem.
As Margaret's behaviour becomes ever more worrying and bizarre, the dramas that have defined her life become increasingly pronounced. Her secret is safe, but at what cost?