In 1920s England, the penalty for a homosexual act is two years' hard labor. Two men cannot kiss or hold hands without being blackmailed or threatened with arrest. Rafe Devonish, a landowner and a highly respected barrister, knows the law all too well, and the dangers of being homosexual. With constant pressure from both his mother and his profession to get married, he knows he has to act soon. Then he meets Ivo Manning, young and full of enthusiasm for life. Rafe not only wants to kiss Ivo and hold his hand, he wants to take him to his bed and make love to him. Very quickly he learns Ivo wants the same. With far less to lose than Rafe, Ivo is not afraid to show his love. What Rafe wants more than anything is to marry Ivo, but that's impossible. The thing about Ivo, aside from being kind, warm-hearted, and desperate for love, is his great intuition. It is this trait that allows him to help Rafe with both an important court case and a personal matter involving a tenant on his land. As the two men spend more time together, their love grows. Their intimacy, which in the beginning frightened Rafe, becomes the cornerstone of his life.