A woman named Irene is reading a novel. She reads a scene in which a frightened girl is attempting to run away from someone. As the girl runs through woods at night, her pursuer catches up to her. The girl is terrified because she has already witnessed the man hurting a friend of hers. As Irene reads the scene, she becomes irritated and dismissive of the novel, commenting “what utter drivel” (2).

The narrative shifts. A young woman named Laura is bleeding from a wound on her arm. She has just come home and phones her father and asks him to come over. Her father’s wife, Deidre, is suspicious; she and Laura have a tense relationship and dislike each other. Laura hangs up and becomes angry as she thinks about all the people who have been dismissive of her.

In London, a woman named Miriam lives on a boat anchored in Regent’s Canal. Early one Sunday morning, she notices that the doors on the boat next to her own are open and goes inside to investigate. Inside, she finds the body of the young man who lives on the boat: His throat has been slit. Miriam calls the police, who come to the scene and question her.