Vanessa's letter comes out of the blue: may her son, Alex, visit his godfather - Fiona's husband, James - on his forthcoming trip to England? Fiona is thrilled - Alex is a particular favourite, and she hasn't seen him since he was a little boy. However, her delight is mixed with unease. Ever since the tragic loss of their own daughter, James has seemed ambivalent about his godson. It is as if he resents the boy's existence.

As she muses on the best way to reconcile James to the news, Fiona looks back to the early days of their relationship. She and her friend Vanessa were teenagers in the sixties, about to start practising the intricate steps of the dance of life ...