What happens when the past and the present collide? Dominic Rose, a bachelor and teacher, has an antiquated hobby. He studies physiognomy, the art of judging somebody's character by their facial features and expressions. Living in a cottage at the edge of the woods with his frail, bedridden mother, he has spent decades pining after Clara, the love of his life, who vanished while staying with her grandparents. When Kate Winston and her family move to North Yorkshire, it sets in motion a chain of events that will alter the lives of those involved forever. Kate?s son, Alexander, makes friends with Dane, a local boy who has a reputation for being difficult. Soon Alexander is being led astray. Then they turn their attentions to their fragile teacher Dominic. The boys are going to learn that actions have consequences ?.