This novel takes us to Virginia’s childhood in a northern city, where the houses seem like jails and those who flee always pay a price. Seen from a bit of distance, as she walks through the streets of Madrid, Virginia seems like a woman who’s comfortably settled into a life she chose for herself after years of adventures: now she has Alex, a fabulous husband, two small daughters who adore her, and a career that fills her days. When you get closer though, you can see a strange hunger in her gaze, one that isn’t sated by the typical kisses and caresses. Daniel, a man who hides everything behind tortoise-shell glasses, senses that Virginia’s desires have deep-seated roots, and he knows how to tame them.