Refugees run away from oppression or violence, right? Not always. Hannah Foster has fled from a painful betrayal by people she loved.
Hannah's asylum is a public swimming pool in an Essex town. Here is work she enjoys, and a seedy flat as home. But the past seems to haunt her. The ghost of her boyfriend? Of her best friend? Somebody different? Or just her imaginings? She questions her resolve, her sexuality and her sanity.
She turns for help to retired priest Alain, who investigates the supernatural despite his own troubled mental health and profound scepticism. Whilst Alain, hungry for truth, is a support, other parts of Hannah's life are not - an unsympathetic boss, a philandering landlord who wants more than rent; and a clearly human stalker.
Alain, and a new friend, Seán, support her but the threat is deadly and personal. Can Hannah and her friends find the resources they need to thwart a deadly peril?