Stoneybridge is full of holiday-makers in summer, its beaches are full of buckets and spades and sandcastles; but in winter it's cold and wild. Few choose to walk along the fine sands, the big round pebbles and the exposed rocky promontories that make up the wind-swept Atlantic coastline. Those who do can't help but see Stone House, the big house on the cliff; once falling into disrepair it is now a beautiful hotel specialising in winter holidays. Its big, warm kitchen, its open log-fires and its elegant bedrooms provide a welcome few can resist, whatever their reasons for coming. Henry and Nicola are burdened with a terrible secret, while cheerful nurse Winnie finds herself on the holiday from hell. John has arrived on an impulse after he missed a flight at Shannon; eccentric Freda claims to be a psychic - and a part-time hairdresser. Then there's Nora, a silent watchful older woman who seems ready to disapprove at any moment.