Two beautiful young women kill men in a villa in Tuscany: Maya and Cora have been friends since childhood. Maya has an alcoholic artist father who deserted the family, a mentally disturbed mother and a violent brother, Carlo. Cora is from a wealthy middle-class family. Cora helps Maya to poison Carlo's friend Detlef, who is threatening to blackmail her. They then kill Carlo when he tries to rape Cora. Cora's family takes Maya in, and a happy time begins for her, particularly when they spend the summer in Italy.
With the death of her husband, Virginia's marriage ends, which is anything but "happy". For the first time in many years, she is returning to her homeland, Cornwall, to spend the summer there with her two children. In a secluded country house by the sea, she wants to settle in a little in the new environment, meets her Eustace Philips again - and her unforgettable childhood love blossoms again.
The countess is married, and the ghosts are still in the Spessart. Her husband becomes an astronaut and the story involved time travelling and space travelling starts.
