At the death of her husband, wealthy Caroline Thorston welcomes a new beginning, yet the past continues to haunt her. Why was she punished? Why was she betrayed? The purchase of an old doll with orange hair seems to act as a catalyst, linking episodes in her life and offering solutions. But will the past, like her husband, become dead and buried? Does she really want to leave it all behind? Her associates, Bradleigh Carter, solicitor, his employee Harry Bainer, and her domestic help, Jenny Alford, all have complicated, selfish agendas of their own, but ultimately it is a stranger who reveals the truth of Caroline's origins and points to the possibilities in her future. A dark and fascinating tale.