In the heat of September, and the heady rush of starting her graduate degree, Regina Gottlieb is entranced by her seductive, controversial English professor, Nicholas Brodeur. Against all advice, she becomes embroiled in his world, only to betray him in a passionate love affair with the person closest to him.
Their romance destroys the equilibrium of all those around them, and threatens to capsize their lives, as Regina and her lover struggle to bridge the gap between duty and desire, obsession and self-preservation.
Only years later, when Regina by now a married mother and bestselling novelist living in Brooklyn crosses paths again with Nicholas, do we see the full impact of her first, devastating love.