It stars Natasha Richardson, Marton Csokas, Ian McKellen and Hugh Bonneville with a cast also including Sean Harris, Joss Ackland, Wanda Ventham, Maria Aitken and Judy Parfitt.

It tells the story of Stella Raphael (Natasha Richardson), the bored and unfulfilled wife of Max (Hugh Bonneville), a psychiatrist working at a remote mental asylum.

Edgar soon tires of the subterfuge—as well as sharing Stella's sexual attentions with Max—and demands that she choose to stay with him permanently or not return for another visit.

After unsuccessfully attempting to bully Stella into revealing his whereabouts, Cleave reminds her that Max can have her committed to the hospital.

Stella then runs away to join Edgar, and they begin a loose, somewhat bohemian life together, remaining out of the public eye for fear of the police.

After shopping one day, Stella returns to the pair's squalid studio flat to be found by police and taken back to her husband and son.

Stella struggles to settle back into "normal" life with her family, trying especially hard to make amends with her son.

On a school outing with Charlie some weeks later, Stella takes her son away from the class teacher and other children and they go into the woods together.

At the annual ball, where male and female patients are permitted to socialise, Stella is anxious to share a dance with Edgar and desperately looks forward to seeing him.

Credited as an executive producer on the film, Natasha Richardson denied that this allowed her to dictate proceedings – even when it came to the numerous sex scenes.

Richardson said David Mackenzie made it clear he wanted them to be as real as possible and that "what's in the movie compared to what they shot is the tip of the iceberg.