Hot on the heels of his newfound success in the publishing world and plagued with writer's block, Arthur Wordsmith flees from London to the Mediterranean coast, hoping inspiration will strike him amidst the sun, salt air, and plentiful liquor. There he meets Cielle Phantomhive, an American teenager who is both a fan of his literary work and the most enchanting creature he's ever laid eyes upon. Cielle is summering in Europe with her family: her brother, Sirius, who covets their shared identity as twins; her mother, Rachel, who has grown resentful of her daughter's youthful beauty; her father, Vincent, a prominent Hollywood producer; and her 'uncle', a close family friend and award-winning director, Sebastian Michaelis. Whilst attempting to resist the seductive pull of a girl who is half his age and fumbling through a movie deal that has fallen unexpectedly into his lap, Arthur becomes embroiled in the depraved dynamics of the Phantomhive-Michaelis cohort, and soon finds himself wishing he had never even booked this vacation in the first place.