A straight laced lawyer, James Manning (Tom Wilkinson) is confronted with the harsh realities of Middle Class English existence when it is revealed that his wife Anne (Emily Watson) was not only involved in the hit and run manslaughter of an associate, but has also been carrying on an affair with their next door neighbour Bill (Rupert Everett), the driver of the car. James presses Bill to confess to his crime, but James' seemingly idyllic life begins to unravel as the full truth of Anne's affair and her involvement in the horrific accident take their toll.