Arrogant, abrasive, vulnerable, novelist Geoffrey Snyder has alienated nearly all who know him. Eric Anderson, scion of the wealthy Andersons of Hamilton, Massachusetts, remains however a loyal friend and it is with Eric that Geoffrey spends a long summer weekend on Cape Cod. There they meet the beautiful, intelligent and inspirational Julia Meadows. Both men are drawn to her and even though Julia and Eric become romantically involved, Geoffrey cannot help but try to steal her affections. But it is only when Geoffrey discovers that his creative abilities have abandoned him, that his desperation becomes acute and events spiral out of control.