Susannah is living a typically quiet and dusty life in the suburbs with her husband Paul, when an unexpected visit from her son, Piers, surfaces a dark secret that has been brewing since he left the nest 15 years ago. As Susannah struggles to come to terms with Piers' relationship with his new girlfriend, her typical mediocre existence is slowly stripped away to reveal an obsession that is anything but typical or secret.

Trapped in a world of domesticity and servitude, long suffering vicar's wife Valerie has spent a lifetime serving others. Lost and lonely, she makes a quiet plea to a statue of the Virgin Mary, who answers her prayers in the form of a strange force.