Millionaire Guy Brouard has made his home on Guernsey and acted as patron and benefactor to many of the islanders. So his murder comes as a shock - and puts many of their schemes in jeopardy. The young woman arrested for the crime is China River, a Californian photographer who was only on Guernsey in the first place as a favour to her brother, Cherokee. In shock at this turn of events, Cherokee seeks help from his only UK contact - Deborah St James, a long-standing friend of his sister. Dealing with personal issues in her marriage and her career, Deborah rushes impulsively to the island to address this miscarriage of justice, accompanied - albeit reluctantly - by her husband, Simon, whose skills as a forensic pathologist and whose connections with Scotland Yard, will prove useful. As the couple penetrate the close-knit Guernsey community in order to solve the crime, they discover it has its roots in the island's history of Nazi Occupation. They also discover things about themselves, and their own relationship, along the way.