James Hemming, sixty-two, married but childless, a syndicated columnist based in California, has exposed enough secrets and crimes to earn a wall full of awards and commendations for investigative reporting. Recently, he has stumbled onto the story of his career, but revealing it would destroy his family. James's diagnosis of cancer brings into focus his mortality. He fights back by undergoing treatment, but the outcome is unsure. He may have but a brief time left. Fully aware that he has spent almost four decades a continent away from his domineering brother, Oaks, and their older sister, Millie, who is their center of gravity, he needs to uncover their secrets.