On a wintry New England morning an innocent short-cut turns to disaster when the snow-covered field Lauren Donnelly crosses turns out to be a not-so-solidly-frozen stream. A passing stranger comes to her aid only to fall through the ice himself and drown. Struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, Lauren reaches out to the man's only daughter and long-time care-giver. But Ada Phelps is not the devoted, grief-stricken offspring she pretends. And making people pay for their crimes is the one thing she has always done best. Some debts should never be repaid.