Charles Arrowby, leading light of England's theatrical set, retires from glittering London to an isolated house by the sea. He plans to write a memoir about his great love affair with Clement Makin, his mentor both professionally and personally, and to amuse himself with Lizzie, an actress he has strung along for many years. But a series of strange events and unexpected visitors- some real, some spectral- conspire to disrupt his plans.