Lily and Marcus meet for the first time after she tripped while stepping out from a taxi and Marcus helps her up. They later meet at the gallery opening, and Lily slowly warms up to Marcus' flirts because he seems friendly and he's handsome. He later asks her to live with him as a roommate, and Lily sees no harm in it so she said yes. She later learnt that Marcus is an architect and the loft they are sharing is designed by him. Before she moves in, Marcus shares the place with Aidan who works as a film animator and he gives Lily the impression he is quiet and distant.

But after Lily knows the room she has took over is previously occupied by Marcus' ex-lover, Sinead, she feels curious and puzzled about her moving out because she appears to be leaving in a haste as some of her clothes are still hanging in the wardrobe. When she confronts Marcus, he tells her that she is no longer with them and Lily took it that she is dead. But Lily isn't satisfied with the answer, and later when she thinks she is seeing Sinead's spectral appearance everywhere, the more she wants to find out the truth until one day, she spots the real Sinead and she begs her to tell her everything. And so Sinead shares her whole story through the second half of the book.

At first, I was intrigued with the story premise. I think Maggie O'Farrell had came up with a great plot and had done a good job in building up the suspense from the beginning. I could feel Lily's emotions and understand how and why she is feeling them, but there are also times that I think she is too trusting and naive because whenever she asks Marcus about Sinead, he would simply tell her it is too hard for him to explain things considering he is still hurt or he would just brush it aside. But nothing shocked me more than reading Lily agrees to move in with Marcus after their first meeting. I know we are not living in an age old generation anymore but still I think Lily should be more cautious before she decides to move in with anyone.