Past her mid-thirties, Dr. Agnes Taylor feels zapped of energy and self-confidence by a stagnating career. When her ageing mother suggests a summer holiday to reconnect, it sounds wonderful—in theory. The reality of the popular North Sea island Bosum proves far from idyllic. Crowded with tourists, the little town is under siege by protestors. Islanders, summer residents, and environmentalists clash over a proposed wind farm. Her mom, always a fiercely independent woman, prefers to roam the island unaccompanied. At loose ends, philosophy Prof. Agnes seeks distraction in watching a local controversy unfold. Disputes and argumentation are Agnes’s philosophical lifeblood. Any public debate that captures her academic interest serves to divert from her inner demons. A bystander to other people’s drama, Agnes observes the key players in the turbine controversy. The charismatic Green Party politician, towering over the brash agent for the wind farm who is the target of the opponents’ wrath, charms her. The much beloved leader of the pacifist environmentalists impresses Agnes with her passionate sincerity. More worrying is the potential for violence from less peaceful protestors. As conflict brews in the heat of July, Agnes’s hope for harmony with her mother and within herself collapses. Faced with a dead body on a lonely beach, Agnes can no longer remain an observer of life. The murder investigation threatens her fragile trust in herself and others.