这位成功的作家兼建筑学教授Nick Kaminsky从纽约回到Elderstown去看望他的亲生母亲Lillian Anderson Munnsen。当他还是个孩子的时候,尼克就不认识他了,但是他付了账单,让她住在医院的一个私人房间里。在街上走着的时候,尼克偶然发现了他的前大学朋友保罗·凯斯勒,他正在拆除他的团队一个旧的百货大楼,那里发生了一起谋杀和自杀事件。在与保罗交谈时,发生了意外,尼克救了他的命。保罗邀请尼克去参加他妻子简·凯斯勒的生日聚会。尼克感觉被建造在铸铁里的建筑吸引,并要求保罗去参观它。与此同时,身为摄影师的简决定拍摄同一栋建筑的照片。他们相互靠近,尼克了解到简也被收养了。在接下来的几天里,简和尼克有了一段恋情,尼克透露了秘密……The successful writer and professor of architecture Nick Kaminsky returns from New York to Elderstown to visit his biological mother Lillian Anderson Munnsen that is terminal. Nick does not know Lilian since he was adopted when he was a child but he pays the bill for her to stay in a private room in the hospital. While walking on the street, Nick stumbles upon his former college friend Paul Kessler, who is demolishing with his team an old department store building where a murder and a suicide happened many years ago. While talking to Paul, there is an accident and Nick saves his life. Paul invites Nick to go to the birthday party of his wife Jane Kessler. Nick feels attracted by the building that is built in cast iron and asks Paul to visit it. Meanwhile Jane, who is a photographer, decides to take photos of the same building. They get close to each other and Nick learns that Jane was also adopted. Along the following days, Jane and Nick have a love affair and Nick discloses hidden secrets from their past.