On a summer day in New York, Jonathan Santlofer discovers his wife, Joy, gasping for breath on their living room couch. After a frenzied 911 call, an ambulance race across Manhattan, and hours pacing in a hospital waiting room, a doctor finally delivers the fateful news. Consumed by grief, Jonathan desperately tries to pursue life as he always had --- writing, social engagements, and working on his art --- but finds it nearly impossible to admit his deep feelings of loss to anyone, not even to his beloved daughter, Doria, or to himself. As Jonathan grieves and heals, he tries to unravel what happened to Joy, a journey that will take him nearly two years.

Pericles “Perry” Christo has been struggling since he lost his badge, and his marriage, in a notorious corruption scandal. So he jumps at the chance to work what seems to be a straightforward (and lucrative) case. Socialite Julia Drusilla is looking for her daughter, Angelina, who is about to become a very wealthy young woman. But as Christo digs deeper, he discovers there’s much more to the lovely “Angel” than meets the eye.