Joanne Kilbourn was a top police detective, until her distress over the unsolved murder of her husband caused her to leave the force to become a university lecturer. Still trying to help her three children deal with the death of their father, she gets drawn back into another murder investigation when her old friend, flighty artist Sally Love, comes back to town for an exhibit. When Sally's ex-husband turns up dead, Jo's old partner Millard lists Sally as the main suspect. Jo must determine if Sally is innocent or guilty; she also must figure out how the present day murder fits in with the mysterious death of Sally's father at their summer cottage twenty years ago.—Sidekick

Widowed Joanne Kilbourn is an ex-police officer turned criminology professor. Her husband Ian was the Ontario provincial Attorney General when he was murdered, the murder never solved. She left the force on bad terms with many of her colleagues because of their inability to solve the case, which is still open. She will have to use her investigative skills again when her childhood friend, artist Sally Love, finds the dead body of her ex-husband, Stuart Schell, an art gallery owner. Sally believes she will be implicated in the murder. Although Sally gave custody of their daughter Taylor to Stuart, Sally wanted to regain custody. Nina Love, Sally's mother with who she has a strained relationship, supported Stuart in the custody decision. In addition, Sally had a showing at Stuart's gallery in which Stuart included works by another artist, Clea Poole, which Sally did not approve. Sally believed that Stuart and Clea were lovers at the time of his death. As Joanne sees the person Sally has grown to become, she begins to doubt Sally's innocence. But as Joanne learns more about Sally's childhood and the fateful summer at the family cottage when Sally's father died, Joanne pieces together the dynamics that led to Stuart's death.—Huggo