Dr. Christine Dunlop was an unwilling child celebrity. Her parents, famous child psychologists, wrote a series of books on child-rearing that chronicled her every move, from fetus to teenager. Worse, they dubbed her "the perfect child," ensuring that Christine would suffer the scrutiny and judgment of strangers the world over. Now in her 30's, she appears to have become the perfect adult, with a lovely house on Balboa Island in tony Newport Beach, a husband who shares her practice, and the slightly suffocating embrace of her parents, who moved into the house next door without telling her. But Christine is miserable. All her life, she has made decisions to please others. And she is hitting the breaking point, beyond which there will be no turning back. When a series of events turns a murderous psychotic loose on her, Christine's decision is made. It is time to throw away her "perfect" life, become her own person, and chase down her one true love, even if it means sailing into a hurricane.