In this story, the three main characters face challenges: Piers Moriston finally admits his sexuality, having failed with girls, Roland Millan, while still devoted to his two boys, Piers and the adolescent Andre, invites them to his cottage in Normandy - but frictions inevitable occur between the members of this uneasy triangle, Piers always trying to protect Andre, who was once his pupil in Paris. When Roland's plane goes missing over the Atlantic, Piers is thrust into the unwelcome role of his executor. With such a potent mix, dramatic moments keep occurring, driving the story forwards.