In the heatwave of 1976, May Flynn's path from childhood to the world of adults is harsh and sudden. Forced to flee London and their creditors, May and her broken parents are given refuge deep in the Cotswold countryside by their only remaining friends. As the heat intensifies, May's resilience is tested again and again. Her family's unspoken secrets clarify into a story that will re-shape many things May thought she knew as true. The kindness of strangers provides a backdrop to a series of events that will change May's world forever. Amongst the lessons of the summer, she learns that monsters may prove kind, and familiarity may prove monstrous. Whatever happens, the summer sun keeps beating down and the courageous river defies the heatwave to keep flowing steadily by at the bottom of the garden.
