Among the mixture of people spending the summer in a pension (boarding house) in Geneva are Felicia, a 20-year-old, and Katherine (30) who become good friends. Another person in the pension is Mr. Chetwynd, an elderly gentleman, whose handsome son Raine comes from Oxford to visit him – and causes a stir in the company, particularly with Felicia and Katherine who both fall for him. The book follows the developing relationships between these main characters. (Summary by Simon Evers)