England, 1935. In the village of Blacknowle, on the Dorset coast, thirteen-year-old Mitzy Hatcher has endured a wild and lonely upbringing as the daughter of a local pariah. Shunned by her neighbours, the arrival of renowned artist Charles Aubrey, his exotic mistress and their two daughters is like a breath of fresh air for Mitzy, and she finally learns what it is to belong. As the artist's muse she begins to perceive a future she had never thought possible, and a powerful love is kindled in her. A love that will grow as she does; from innocence to obsession; from childish infatuation to something far, far more dangerous. 2010. Artist and gallery-owner Zach Gilchrist's life is coming apart. His ex-wife has taken their young daughter and moved to America, and all he has left is his love of Charles Aubrey's work and a fascination with his life, cut short by World War Two. In an attempt to get to the bottom of the decades-old mystery surrounding the artist he visits Blacknowle, where he meets an old woman whom he recognises from Aubrey's work as the beautiful 'Mitzy'. Gradually, as he wins her trust, the true story of the turbulent years before the war emerges; and tragic events, buried for seventy years, are uncovered.