A St Ives Affair

The Tate Gallery in St Ives in Cornwall is the setting of a chance meeting between Rachel, a young woman on a recuperative painting holiday after the break-up of her marriage, and Alex, a consultant Paediatrician at a London hospital, also on holiday at his old family home above the harbour. Through their mutual attraction and their shared love of art, they come to explore the consequences of a life-changing shared moment in the past, which will come to drastically affect their developing relationship and the lives of every member of her family. On their return to London after their holidays, Rachel’s mother, dying of cancer, is forced to reveal an explosive secret to each member of her family in turn, which threatens to blow apart and realign old relationships and certainties. The development of Rachel’s feelings towards her lover as these events unfold carries her story from shocked reaction and self doubt through a journey of self-discovery. This brings with it a new affirmation in her mind of the love and attraction she still feels for Alex, spurred on by the pivotal involvement of her younger sister with them both.