Widowed London social worker Georgina "Georgie" Jefferson battles guilt and public disgrace when one of her charges, abused five-year-old Angela Hopkins, is beaten to death. She retreats to Furze Pen, an isolated Devon cottage that once belonged to Stephen, the deceased brother she never knew. In this refuge, she hopes to learn something about Stephen. But the hostility of her neighbors and a series of chilling incidents - including the disappearance of her dog and a stranger lurking around the cottage at night - disturb Georgie's desperate search for peace. As winter closes in, Georgie must discover who or what threatens her most...the tragedies of her past or a new danger from her tormented present. Once again, master of suspense Gillian White depicts the dreadful, dependent relationship that can sprout between love and violence.