An idyllic Aeolian island seems the ideal place for a disgraced ex-police analyst to disappear from view. The idyll comes to an end when he is tracked down by the journalist he views as having been responsible for his disgrace but now, the journalist needs his help in tracking down a missing refugee. A task with little or no chance of success becomes even more complicated when they find themselves up against criminal gangs of traffickers, corrupt aid agencies, powerful business interests, underfunded -and sometimes corrupt - public services are of little help. The novel begins in the Spring of 2016 and ends in England two years later, having passed through Lampedusa, Sicily and Tuscany on the way. The story is set against a background of real events from the two year period.