Schoolteacher Rhian Evans doesn't doubt that a Welsh love affair, as it is often noted, is only made up of 10% sex. For the three long years of her husband's absence, she has stayed true to her strict chapel upbringing and has lived in celibacy. But Rhian wishes she was more like Ilona Hughes, her scandalous lodger. With her great appetite for life and men, Ilona is a breath of fresh air, and when her zestful spirit begins to influence Rhian, the ripples are felt throughout their small coastal town. Perceptive, funny, and moving, this novel reveals the poignancy of love in the midst of war.