Armed by a friend with the knowledge of a dilapidated Italian villa in Calabria that can be bought for a song, an unmarried English businessman sets off to purchase it.
But the villa itself is not his main aim.
For its garden hosts a certain water-feature and a carving of the goddess Venus.
A carving he knows will reap him a financial reward far, far, greater than any rustic pile of bricks and mortar.
But there's a problem.
The sensuous and imperious aristocratic woman who owns the property and her two female assistants have a secret.
A secret that lies in a sealed room in the villa's cellar.
And a secret that will fill his reality with horror while ensuring his life becomes an eternal commitment to sensuous service.