When her marriage falls apart, Alma turns to the two people she can always depend on: the Ems. To the outside world she's strong and single-minded, but Millie and Maz know better - get past the piercings and the attitude and the real Alma's lonely, desperate for love and nursing old wounds. This time though, Al needs more than her friends can offer and she has to run from the painful memories Bradford holds. At her parents' villa in Spain a chance encounter with members of the mysterious CDS Foundation changes Al's life forever. Condemned by the locals as a cult, the Foundation seems to offer her a spiritual haven at first: the students are bright, open and accepting, the atmosphere a million miles from the heartache and betrayal of her old life. But under the surface lurks a sinister reality. What do the Foundation leaders expect from their students? What really goes on at their Gatherings? And what price will Al have to pay for witnessing the horrific truth?