Ingrid Coleman writes letters to her husband, Gil, about the truth of their marriage, and hides them in the thousands of books he has collected. After writing her final letter Ingrid disappears, leaving behind her beautiful but dilapidated house by the sea, her husband, and her two daughters, Flora and Nan. Twelve years later Gil thinks he sees Ingrid, but it's chalked up to senility. Flora returns home to care for her father and to try discover what happened to Ingrid, never realizing that the answers to her questions surround her.