Broughton House, an old English country estate set along theWiltshire/Dorset border in England, is the inanimate protagonist of PennyJordan's lengthy exploration into the human drama. Three couples view thehouse as the answer to their personal problems. Eleanor, with her newhusband, two sons from a previous marriage and troubled teenagedstepdaughter, hopes the house will help them bond as a family. Hotel managerZoe, who dreams of turning Broughton House into a bed-and-breakfast in orderto her lover, Ben, from the demands of his dysfunctional family. Finally,there is Fern, trapped in an emotionally abusive marriage to Nick. She'shopelessly in love with Nick's stepbrother Adam, with whom she once had anaffair and who is now involved in the sale of Broughton House. Fern is themost interesting of the lot as she comes to realize that she is a batteredwife - sans the bruises - and slowly emerges as a self-possessed woman.