Julia Fox is the essence of the seductive woman, a graceful and enigmatic beauty; Lomax is her lover, an astronomer by profession, drawn to her loneliness and determined to clear her of a charge of double murder. Gail is Julia's stepdaughter, a troubled young woman found shot to death with her father; the murdered Lewis Fox is Julia's husband, an eminent attorney whose private pleasures stand in shocking relief against his public facade.

Probing into the hidden world of the Foxes, from the Arizona desert to an exclusive resort, from a rundown housing complex to a men's club catering to special tastes, Lomax uncovers intricate connections of desire, deceit, and cruelty that repel and fascinate him. But in the dark there is Julia; her voice is soft and calm, her skin smooth as water.

As her trust in her lover deepens, she begins to share intimate memories in which her stepdaughter plays an increasingly ominous role; with each revelation Julia becomes more vulnerable and her past, more complex. Probing ever deeper, encountering many vividly etched, sometimes eccentric characters, Lomax is provoked by nameless suspicions; anxiety clouds his dreams. Julia's trial brings to light dramatic new witnesses and evidence, riveting the peaceful mountain community. It ends with an unexpected verdict.

But the most stunning discovery is yet to come....