Set in England, Boston, and the Caribbean, this Pinteresque, artfully crafted story describes a relationship between Justine, a young dancer, and Roy, her philosophy teacher at Oxford. It is a story of love and sex, pain and intellect, and ultimate redemption. The story is narrated by Justine, who chronicles her own awakening from disciple to equal; from blind, yet innocent masochism to full personhood; from student/lover/wife to emancipation from Roy a tormented, though brilliant man who is obsessed with the question of free will and his own intense, yet twisted sexuality. Ultimately, this first novel describes a spiritual journey that leads Justine and Roy beyond pleasure, beyond renunciation, to a transcendent knowledge of the deepest meanings of love and loyalty.