When the world is still counting the cost of World War Two and the Iron Curtain descends, young Roland Baines's life is turned upside down. 2,000 miles from his mother's love, stranded at boarding school, his vulnerability attracts piano teacher Miriam Cornell, leaving scars as well as a memory of love that will never fade. 25 years later Roland's wife mysteriously vanishes, leaving him alone with their baby son. He is forced to confront the reality of his rootless existence. As radiation from the Chernobyl disaster spreads, Roland begins a search for answers that looks deep into his family history and will last for the rest of his life.