Martin Winter first meets the Auber twins on holiday beside Derwentwater – where their great and mysterious house looms over the lakeside. They strike up an immediate friendship – and when they come together again as adults, the old bonds seem to remain.
Geoffrey is now a leading figure in the glamorous London art world, and Martin's earlier passion for the beautiful Leila now matures onto an adult love affair. But an ancient curse shadows the Auber family. And when Martin steps over the threshold dividing past from present, the worldly from the supernatural, he understands at last the danger threatening the doomed House of Auber – and himself.
