After the tragic death of his 2-year-old daughter, Stephy, washed up by the tide, and the disappearance of his beloved wife, Elizabeth, missing believed drowned, Ben Tavistock exiles himself from the community. Allowing only his mother, Rosa, to visit, she finds an old, unopened letter behind Ben’s sideboard; the contents of which are disturbing. Rosa sets out to ascertain what the letter really means and why Ben’s friend, Billy Turner, would write such things. Meantime, Ben draws up courage to trace his wife and daughter’s final movements, from his front to the ocean’s edge.