Twenty years after an unspeakable childhood trauma, Detective August Miller suspects that her sister's killer may have re-emerged. If only things were that simple. On a cold morning four days before Christmas, the body of a young woman is found at Lake Needwood in Montgomery County, Maryland. As August investigates, conflicting facts suggest a range of suspects. Fearing the worst, August dives into a mystery that will force her to face a terrible truth that will bring her past to her present.