Following the death of Pearl, her daughter, Ada, and granddaughter, Pepper, move back into her dilapidated house by a river somewhere in rural England (Devon, according to interviews with the author, but I’m pretty sure that’s not mentioned in the book). Ada’s intention is to fix the place up to sell and leave again as quickly as possible, but she is gradually drawn back in to the community she fled, and is forced to confront the ghosts of her past.