In the scorching summer of 1976, Patrick leaves home, determined to escape from a family still reeling from the suffocating aftereffects of a terrible tragedy. Hoping to find peace of mind, love, and adventure, he heads to the brooding seaside resort of Morcambe. Here he is catapulted into the complicated world of the fairground folk. He meets the beautiful Clare, the giant Malone, and the mysterious Zola, who describes himself as a 'collector of souls'. Patrick soon discovers that he cannot escape his past and is quickly drawn into a deadly game of love and revenge. Now, years later, a mysterious letter calls Patrick back to Morcambe, where he fears he will be finally held to account for the events of that terrible summer. After all, he knows what lies beneath the sands. He soon discovers that nothing is ever as it seems, and memories may not always be trusted.

A tale in which Patrick comes of age twice in very different circumstances.