Lies and Loyalties

One cool March morning in London, Member of Parliament Leo Barr is told that his brother, Charlie, is dead; he has hanged himself from a chestnut tree in the grounds of a mental hospital. His family reacts in different ways: Charlie's mother, Imogen, sees no point in pretending that life is still worth living (he was always her favorite); Leo and his lawyer brother Roland fight, as they always have over Charlie; the fourth brother, Ron, a Catholic priest, must break the news to Charlie's wife, currently in prison. In the days following Charlie's death the conflict builds among members of this diverse and complex family. Above and between them all is the larger-than-life figure of Charlie, who follows no rules, even in death. It becomes clear that his tragedy is only part of a web of mystery and deceit that connects the family—one divided by rivalry and frustrated love and forced, at last, to learn the truth about themselves.