American teenager and competitive figure skater, Elizabeth Silverman, is steered by her assertive mother, Leah, into the prestigious British Ice Skating Academy in London. Under the pretext of being in England on a tourist visa her father, Murray, sets about to establish a London office for his unconventional business of making diamonds out of cremated remains. Leah Silverman's abusive determination to force her daughter to excel as a figure skater turns out poorly. Amateur sleuth Ben Hamilton and his teenage daughter, Sarah, attempt to befriend Elizabeth. In a fit of rage, Mrs. Silverman rashly steps onto the slippery surface in an attempt to pull her daughter off the ice. She falls, splits her head open and dies in Ben's arms as he attempts to administer first aid. The police consider it and open-and-shut case of accidental death, but Ben is unsure. A friend, in MI-5, helps him discover that Elizabeth has concocted a garden variety drug which may have contributed to her mother's accident. With the Hamilton's support and encouragement, Elizabeth confesses to her father, who is then faced with his own complicity in and for his wife's behavior. Ben and Francesca are left to resolve and manage the dilemma of Leah Silverman's death, between accident and intent.