A mysterious charcoal portrait serves as the catalyst for a multi-generational investigation into a long-buried love story. Kate Darling, living in 1986, inherits an artwork from her grandmother that compels her to trace the history of two lovers, Tom and Alice, whose lives were fractured by the onset of war. The narrative shifts between the carefree atmosphere of 1928 England, the encroaching darkness of 1940 Paris, and Kate's own search for truth in the 1980s. Kate must navigate the physical distance between London, Paris, and Corsica while piecing together the logical gaps left by her grandmother's silence. The story utilizes a non-linear structure to contrast the optimism of youth with the harsh realities of historical upheaval.

This novel is characterized by its focus on the intersection of personal history and broader historical events. The narrative structure suggests a deliberate pacing that emphasizes the slow uncovering of secrets across different time periods. Readers often observe the author's attention to period detail, particularly in the contrast between the interwar years and the later decades. The work functions as a study of how individual lives are shaped by the political and social shadows of the twentieth century.