A story set in 1920s Italy in the area once occupied by The Etruscans, drawing inspiration from the gothic novel and fairy tales. Harriet Sackett,photographer, travels to Italy to photograph Etruscan tombs. Here she falls in love with a charismatic count, the occultist and amateur archaeologist, Federigo del Re, who materializes then disappears into the Etruscan landscape. As Harriet stalks her phantasm-lover, the solution to the mystery which propels the novel retreats. Is Federigo Del Re faithful; is he a real count, or even a real man; a fantasy or an Etruscan ghost? Harriet's diary, the only proof of his existence, is an object of contention -burnt, battered, rescued, will provide the final key.