Lillian, a British middle-aged woman who's the bookish type, falls for a man half her age, Jimmy. She divorces her husband, re-marries the young man, and buys a flower shop to support his desire to be a gardener. What she doesn't know is that Jimmy has a heart condition, and that his restless energy is because he doesn't have long to live.

Harry Clarke is the story of a shy midwestern man who feels more himself when adopting the persona of cocky Londoner Harry Clarke. Moving to New York and presenting himself as an Englishman, he charms his way into a wealthy family's life, romancing two family members as the seductive and sexually precocious Harry, with more on his mind than love. With his spellbinding and emotionally nuanced storytelling, Cale has created a riveting story of a man leading an outrageous double life.