Isla is a writer, married with two children, living an idyllic, rural life in the south of England. When her husband, Roman, suggests they go to counselling to revive their sex life, Isla tentatively agrees. Cracks begin to show in their marriage, and secrets spill. As Isla is writing her latest novel, she realises that her book's main character, Gem, hasn't got all the problems of the world, Isla has her fair share. Ultimately, nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets and, as the saying goes, there's no education like adversity.