Annabel Kendal has better reasons than most to dread the annual family holiday. Thirty-year-old Annabel is haunted by the murder of her Aunt Hilary, which occurred twenty eight years ago on a holiday very much like the one she is about to set out on. She cannot help but dread the family gatherings where she is forced to confront the shadows of suspicion and guilt which the unsolved 'Carlyle murder' casts over her family. This year the holiday promises to be even more difficult for Annabel, who has recently attracted the attention of an over zealous journalist, Martin. Suffering from nightmarish visions, Annabel is also struggling to keep her marriage alive. As the family gathers tensions mount and Annabel realises she must resolve the mystery surrounding her aunt's death if she is regain peace of mind. Maybe the long-lost diaries of her much-maligned French mother, Monique, will help Annabel uncover her aunt's murderer...