Alice Loudon is a young woman who seems to have all she wants from life: a group of close friends, a loving boyfriend, a successful career. Then one day she meets a stranger and - impulsively, immediately - gives up her safe, ordered existence for a passionate affair. It leads her into deception, the abandonment of an old life, and a dark, secret realm of experience that both entices and alarms her. Gradually, almost reluctantly, she and he learn about each other's lives. He is Adam Tallis, a celebrated mountaineer, the hero of a recent, disastrous Himalayan expedition. As Alice discovers Adam's complex and tormented past, she enters his world of risk and adventure, and her initial curiosity turns to an obsession that threatens everything: her marriage, her safety, her sanity and, finally, her life.