Anna has landed her dream job as an Assistant Professor of English literature at a prestigious college in the South. Instead of charging ahead with her career, however, she is confronted by hurdles, pitfalls and mysteries. Why does no one restrain the demented hoarder who secretly uses her office as his private storeroom? Who is responsible for her sudden loss in salary? What is behind the vandalism in her department? Is it a personal attack against her irreverent and somewhat unconventional teaching style? Professor Giles Cleveland is supposed to mentor her in all this, but he's arrogant, sardonic, condescending, disconcertingly attractive and - Anna keeps reminding herself as the temptation to start a kamikaze affair with him becomes overwhelming - absolutely out of bounds. Anna and Giles grow increasingly reckless and it is only a matter of time before they will be caught and Annas career will crash and burn. But when the crash comes, it's worse than Anna imagined. And far better than she could have dreamed.