When Alan Parker is suddenly made redundant, he can't bring himself to tell his wife. With time on his hands while secretly looking for a job, he meets a waif-like little girl, Tessa, and her lonely, widowed mother. Alan discovers he can confide in Louise, and feels protective towards her and her daughter. But then Tessa disappears, and Alan inevitably becomes a police suspect. His daily subterfuge, and the very roots of his loveless marriage, are threatened.