On Christmas Eve, 1959, the bodies of Isabel Turner and three of her four children are found alongside a creek. The youngest child, an infant, goes missing and is never found. In the present day, Jess Turner-Bridges is recalled home after her grandmother, Nora, suffers a fall while climbing the attic stairs. Wanting to understand what had drawn Nora to the attic, Jess uncovers a devastating family secret. With a loving nod to Charles Dickens and Agatha Christie, Kate Morton unveils twist after twist in a manner worthy of Golden Age mystery writers.