At the isolated Baikie's cottage, three very different women come together to complete an environmental survey. Three women who each know the meaning of betrayal. . . .For team leader Rachael Lambert the project is the perfect way tor rebuild her confidence after the betrayal of her lover. Botanist Anne Preece, on the other hand, sees it as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And then there is Grace Fulwell, a strange young woman with plenty of her own secrets to hide. . .When Rachael arrives at the cottage, however, she is horrified to discover the body of her friend Bella Furness. Bella, it appears, has committed suicide. Only when the next death occurs does a fourth woman come into the picture - the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope, who must piece together the truth from these women's tangled lives. . .