It imagines the ancient past, the present and the not too distant future, from the perspective of the same man, living in the same place, in the west of Scotland…and three women and a boy.
1746, Culloden, Scotland. Two teenage brothers (one with autism) and their female cousin are orphaned after the battle. In their efforts to survive, they discover unsuspected resilience and a fantastical inheritance.
A girl turns 16 and wants to leave home. Her father resists the idea. Some years later, walking by a dark lake, the father meets an actress who has fled from a personal crisis. As their relationship develops, the actress makes a terrible discovery as to why the daughter never left.