When Fran Varady is approached by Private Detective Clarence Duke, she mistrusts him on instinct. But she can't ignore what he has to say. Her mother, Eva, who walked out on Fran when she was only seven, has hired Clarence to find her daughter. And for good reason. Eva is dying. So Fran is reunited with the mother she hasn't seen for fifteen years, and is soon to lose again. But the biggest bombshell of all is still to come. Eva has another child - a daughter she gave up soon after her birth - and she wants Fran to find her. It's not an easy task when her mother has sworn her to secrecy and the only clue Fran has is an out-of-date address. And matters aren't helped by the fact that slippery Clarence Duke seems intent on discovering what she's up to. But it's when he's found dead in his car outside Fran's home that the trouble really begins...