In Rendell's evocative portrayal of West London, the slums of Notting Hill Gate and the mews houses of Holland Park may, geographically, only be streets apart but, socially, they are worlds apart. When these two worlds collide, the repercussions are fatal. Guy, from a council flat in Notting Hill Gate and Lenora, a wealthy middle-class young girl were childhood sweethearts, and despite Lenora's mother's disapproval, belonged to the same criminal gang. But as they grew older, Lenora became increasingly distant as she grew apart from Guy, turning his innocent love into a dangerous, psychopathic obsession. When Leonora announces her engagement to another man, Guy knows there must be some mistake – and he is determined to right it, at any cost. As he becomes the victim of his own murderous madness, nobody is safe.