Mary and Ross were students spending their junior year abroad in Rome when their daughter, Natassia, was conceived on a dare: "Do it without birth control" another couple challenged. "We'll do it if you do it." The young students--unmarried, self-centered, and overwhelmed--abdicated responsibility to Ross's parents, who raised the girl in their intellectually stimulating Manhattan home. Completing the circle of loving but less-than-perfect guardians of Natassia's well-being were her godparents Nora and Christopher, a childless, seemingly happily married couple. Despite the absence of her mother, a world-class modern dancer, and her father, a physician, Natassia thrives. When she is fifteen, however, a mysterious romance she's been engaged in ends, and Natassia suffers a collapse that forces the adults to face their deepest darkness. Mary, a Korean War baby, must provide the unconditional love she never received. Ross, still in love with Mary after ten years' separation, must face the consequences of his obsessions. And Nora and Christopher, burdened by a decades-old secret, must use desperate measures to save Natassia--and their marriage.--From publisher description.