A brother sent away. A sister in a loveless home. A father ruthlessly murdered. Ricky and Leonora Bates are brother and sister, best friends, allies in a loveless family. They are a constant disappointment to their domineering father. He views Ricky's quiet bookishness as weakness and Leonora's feisty intelligence as unbecoming. Then Ricky is sent away to a boarding school in South Africa to "toughen him up". And Leonora is stuck dealing with her dysfunctional parents on her own. The unthinkable happens. Leonora's father travels to South Africa to bring Ricky home. Disaster strikes. Her father is shot dead. And her brother is nowhere to be found. Now Leonora must find the truth.