When the body of Lynley's godson is discovered 12 years after his abduction, it seems for the parents that the past has finally been laid to rest. Lynley tries to hold himself together to support the family, but when he begins an affair with the family's now-grown daughter -- and she is then found dead -- Lynley is hauled in for questioning. Convinced that Julia's death is somehow related to her brother's abduction and death, Lynley must unravel not one but two murders, one of which was thought long-solved.