Aboard a train travelling between Paris and Frankfurt, author Paul Parsky happens to sit opposite Martha. The attractive widow is a fan of the cynical writer’s work, and recognises the author of the novel in her handbag.

As the tension builds, the drama explores the relationship between travellers, between authors and their readers, between friends and lovers, men and women.

Peter Bowles, who plays Parsky, was recently in the West End with Simon Gray’s The Old Masters. Sian Phillips’s stage work includes Pal Joey, A Little Night Music and Marlene.