Brookes, a British army captain, awakes after being wounded in the mountains of Italy to find himself a guest of the baron of Castelmantia in his remote castle. He can remember the ambush by Mussolini's fascists, the panic of the rebels, the bloodshed, and being struck by a bullet. And there are other things too … things he'd rather not remember. Instead, he turns his attention to the castle and its strange inhabitants, a family of four - a couple, their daughter and young son - who both intrigue and repel him. As winter locks them into the castle and the conflict escalates beyond their walls, Brookes finds himself drawn into the mystery at the heart of the family, determined to understand the game they seem to be playing. Who are they really? Why do they live alone in that bleak, decaying place? What do they want from him? But then Brookes is not quite what he seems either, and his intrusion into the family's lonely existence will have explosive results, leaving an unforgettable imprint on each of them.