By his own admission, Philip is living a humdrum life in the Essex coastal town of Maldon.

His new boss at the town library is a pain in the neck,making even the job he loves difficult, and he longs for something to kick start him out of what he admits is a bit of a rut. Soon after a new and unexpected friendshipbegins he determines to make some changes. Then one day his routine walk to work has him finding a dead body, involved with the police and feeling he must help his new friend by investigating a mystery from years past.

As events following the death carry him along, an abandoned sailing boat, half a letter and a surprising alliance sees him seeking to unravel the mystery of a missing person. He quickly realises that dialling the emergency services that spring morning is leading to changes that will affect his life, his job and his future as well as having him travel abroad and make some surprisingly impulsive decisions.