Devlin Urquhart, an Oxford student disillusioned with his privileged past and the aesthetic life, heads for Yorkshire and a simpler identity as a gardener. But his past soon catches up with him, and everywhere Devlin roams, the tendrils of his former life reach out to him.

Meanwhile the spirited daughter of an eminent London psychologist rebels against her father’s bombastic behaviour by throwing a treasured family heirloom against an antique mirror, shattering both the mirror and her father’s complacency.

Devlin and Janet seem destined for each other – but will their rebellions against the constraints of society bind them together, or tear them apart?

MacNiece’s only adult novel is a light-hearted confection and a real treat for anyone interested in his work.