In the desolate area outside of Inverness,
Scotland, a
young woman, her husband and two-year-old squat in an abandoned house trailer, terrified
that the authorities will learn they are in the country illegally. In a nearby
bed and breakfast, a middle-aged bride makes plans to sell her rental car in a
frantic attempt to get the money she needs to pay for something she hopes will
thaw her new husband’s cold indifference. And a former bus driver, newly
released from prison after serving time for a dreadful accident, sets out on
the open road to escape his past.
These sad lives come together in a violent fashion when a
bridge collapses, carrying with it the woman’s car. Ashamed of having sold a
car that she didn’t own, she changes her name and starts life over, letting the
world think she died.
She discovers the abandoned trailer in the woods, where
Silva, the young mother, waits for her husband and child to return after the
collapse. They are joined by Ron, the bus driver, who lands a job ferrying
rescue workers to the bridge site by boat. Together the three form a
quasi-family until one member breaks bad. Very bad.
Morag Joss’s deft touch at building suspense makes the story
gripping even while it is devastatingly sad.
