Whether a marriage works, or does not, cannot be explored by someone outside the relationship who is not privy to these moments between the couple. Exploring the intimacy of these relationships has them looking at painful topics as they look not only at themselves, but also at what their marriages actually were beyond what they appeared to be. As they dig deeper into the stories, they also find themselves attracted to one another and the relationship between them grows. The book opens with Lily and Orson dashing out of town for a four-day weekend together. They are at a juncture in the affair where decisions need to be made and they are looking forward to exploring them together.
Disaster strikes as their plane crashes and their secrets are unraveled by a police detective.
This same detective caught his wife in a dalliance with his best friend the year before and becomes preoccupied with the case. Readers see his need to understand his own story through Vivien and Edward. He delivers the news of their spouses' deaths with compassion, but also seems to be exploring their reactions to try to come to terms with his. Vivien and Edward look for the fractures in what they felt were solid relationships often painfully seeing their own failures, as well as those of their spouses. They ask each other probing questions that dig deep, but together they put together the story of what happened.