When a wealthy American asks Smythsons' interior designers to refurbish a Venetian palazzo, Jessica, still recovering from the death of her mother, decides that the break from London would be good for her. But in Venice she discovers her real father, the artist who abandoned her pregnant mother. And try as she may, she cannot avoid Llewelyn and his family for long...Llewelyn's children have their own reasons for resenting her sudden appearance in their lives. Happiness seems a lovely mirage, like Venice itself. But back in London, Jess finally comes to the decision that kissing shadows will no longer do. In a final, brave leap of faith she must return to Venice - for only there can illusion and reality be disentangled ....