TEMPTATION OF JACK ORKNEY, THE

Two marriages, both middle class, liberal and 'rather literary', share a shocking flaw, a 'secret cancer'. A young beautiful woman from a working class family is courted by a very eligible, very upmarket man. An ageing actress falls in love for the first time but can only express her feelings through her stage performances because her happily married lover is sadly unobtainable. A dedicated, lifelong rationalist is tempted, after the death of his father, by the comforts of religious belief.