A profoundly moving and compelling literary mystery which will appeal to fans of Alice Sebold, Sophie Hannah and Jodi PicoultLife changes in an instant. On a foggy beach in San Francisco, Abby Mason - photographer, fiancee, soon-to-be-stepmother - looks away from six-year-old Emma for an instant. Devastated by guilt, haunted by her fears about becoming a mother, Abby refuses to believe that Emma is dead.

Now, as the days drag into weeks, as the police lose interest and fliers fade on telephone poles, Emma's father finds solace in religion. But Abby can only wander the beaches and city streets, attempting to recover the past and the little girl she lost.