Abby Northrope has everything a woman could want. A wonderful home in Carmel-by-the-Sea, a wealthy lawyer husband, a wide circle of friends and a secure place in the community. She has everything...until Marti Bright, Abby's best friend from school days, is brutally murdered -- crucified on a hill overlooking Carmel. But Abby lives with a secret of her own: her ailing marriage, so fairy-tale-like to outsiders, is crumbling. As Abby turns all her energies into a quest to avenge Marti's death, she is led down a labyrinth of lies, half-truths, jealousies and revenge. Terrible secrets come to light: about herself, her husband and Marti. But how are the three tied together? With a killer still on the loose, time is running out.