A story of a family secret with deadly consequences. When Pony Carteret is found drowned in the waters of Lake Aral her family is quick to accept a verdict of accidental death, but something doesn't seem to fit: how could Pony, an able and experienced swimmer, die within feet of their exclusive holiday home while her toddler son played on the shore? Pony's death opens a whole Pandora's box of questions: who is her son's father? Who was the man a neighbour saw arguing with her only hours before she died? What had she meant to tell William, her older brother, whom she had summoned to the house that day? William is absolutely shattered by his favourite sister's death, and as he begins to challenge the official version of events he makes a devastating and very personal discovery. And how should he respond to Keith Brink, a stranger who spoke at Pony's funeral, and has now begun to insinuate his way into the life of their vulnerable younger sister, Mira?