A man and a woman meet in the ruins of post-war Poland. With vastly different backgrounds and temperaments, they are fatally mismatched and yet drawn to each other.

Anna, a young novitiate in 1960s Poland, is on the verge of taking her vows when she discovers a family secret dating back to the years of the German occupation.

In the Yorkshire countryside, working-class tomboy Mona meets the exotic, pampered Tamsin. To seal their friendship, Mona introduces Tamsin to her born-again Christian brother and helps her spy on her adulterous father. Bound together by their secrets, the two girls see their friendship deepen and enter into dangerous waters.

An American writer moves to Paris to be closer to his daughter and finds himself falling immediately on hard times.

A couple decides to turn their backs on civilization to build their private paradise on a desert island. However, a millionaire passing through the island makes them a sensation, making a European countess want to take over their island.

A struggle for power between a pianist and his unruly muse turns murderous.