 Leonard and Anne are taking the lovers road to Dover where they will board the boat and go to Paris. But the car breaks down and Saunders takes them to a nearby hotel. When they get there, it is a residence with servants owned by a Mr. Latimer. While it is comfortable, they are told they cannot leave for seven days so that they can see if the marriage between them will work. The next day, Anne begins to notice things about Leonard that she ignored before. There is one other couple in the house who are leaving after seven days and it turns out to be Leonard s wife Eustasia and Nicholas, her lover.