Andrew Pilger and Adrianna Romano, having lived together for two years, decide to take a vacation at Montauk Point, Long Island. They want to discuss where their lives are going and what will be their next step. However, they never get the opportunity because once they are settled at The Sunset Inn, Andrew goes for a walk on the beach and doesn't return. The novel then deals with 1) Adrianna's many conflicts, fears, and doubts, as well by encounters with confused people as she waits patiently for Andrew's return; and 2) by the variety of people Andrew meets on his long walk to the lighthouse. One particular encounter dominates a major part of the novel when Andrew saves a drowning woman. This act of heroism leads ironically to encounters with a bizarrely constructed house, a morbid family, and an elite, suicidal woman who controls everyone she is in contact with, including Andrew, her savior.
