On the tiny Breton Island of Le Devin, life has almost unchanged for a hundred years. For generations two rival communities, the wealthy La Houssiniére and the impoverished village of Les Salants, have fought for control over the island's only beach, the source of it's prosperity.
When spirited local girl Mado returns, she finds her home threatened, both by the tides and by local entrepreneur Claude Brismand. Worse still, Mado's father is suffering from the same disease that afflicts the village itself: an incurable loss of hope.
Dogged by prejudice, she is forced to enlist the help of Flynn, an attractive drifter who shows her the means to redress the balance of power....
But Mado's attempts have unforeseen consequences. As Les Salants returns to life, so do past tragedies, including the terrible secret that still haunts Mado's father. And Flynn has other hidden loyalties. Is he really who he says he is? Or is he leading them all into a trap?