The first four years of the 1960s have been filled with tragedy and violence for Esther Charlemagne; divorce from her abusive, alcoholic husband, the death of her thirteen year-old son, the assassination of President Kennedy, and her battle with breast cancer. None of these events, however, have prepared her for the investigation of her life, into the circumstantial death of a talented young ballet dancer, killed in a mysterious fire. Teamed with her former partner on the New York City Police, Aiden "Mac" McManus, the case will be the first that their fledgling private investigation firm will take on, engaging all the skills learned while detectives on the elite homicide squad of the NYPD. Amid the deception and danger, Esther and Mac are thrown together and forced to face their own demons and their long-buried feelings for each other.