The coastal settlement of Slangkop, near Cape Town, comes alive on weekends when the mercurial Chas Fawkes hosts his legendary gatherings at Midden House. Shy, plump librarian Nina Browne is invited to one such party, and soon finds herself smitten, becoming first Chas’s secretary and later, his lover. But beneath the glittering surface, things are not as they seem. Nina is also watched over and loved by Chas’s childhood playmate, the reclusive environmentalist William.
When Chas’s estranged alcoholic wife, Dolly, returns briefly, she steals William’s savings and leaves behind an unexpected gift—her baby son, Oro. In his own gentler, more innocent way, Oro becomes a catalyst for the Slangkop community. William is drawn out of his seclusion and surprisingly takes on the role of a father figure. Still, he longs to win Nina’s heart, but how can he, when she remains so enmeshed in Chas’s chaotic world?
As the residents of this eccentric seaside community orbit around Chas and his increasingly desperate crises, questions about sex and love emerge—questions that only love can answer.
