January in Dublin. Margaret Boyle is at an all time low. Her academic career has stalled, her self-esteem is crumbling and she fears her American husband, Paul, is on the brink of an affair. In a moment of desperation she sends him packing.
Bewildered by his wife's behaviour, Paul finds himself renting a room from an elderly widow while he deals with the attentions of the pretty, flirtatious Elaine and the turmoil at work.
Curtis Adler examines the passion, the greed and ultimately the vitality of contemporary Dublin life, as Margaret and Paul try to piece together their broken lives and search for something enduring and profound.