Ravishing, extravagant, flirtatious Annie Macleoud and kind, plain, virtuous Myrtle Duns cannot remember a time when they were not the most loving, rivalrous and unlikely of friends, unflinchingly loyal to each other in the harsh climate of the Scottish fishing village which is their home. Their extraordinary friendship has been tested many times, most of all when, against all expectations, it is Myrtle who embarks upon the great and passionate love affair of her life, while the beautiful Annie finds only disappointment. Yet Myrtle and Annie approach middle age together, making their slow and uncertain progress towards happiness, fishermen's wives forever gazing out to the unforgiving sea, until a horrifying accident destroys their equilibrium. Instead of finding strength from each other, however, a deep and terrible rift opens up between them, exposing all the secret sadness, the jealousy and betrayal each has carefully hidden over the years. In WIVES OF THE FISHERMEN Angela Huth writes movingly of love and loss and explores the intricate mechanism of a friendship with tenderness, intelligence and understanding.