Eileen McGrath, a 43-year-old disabled nurse and barely employed psychic, is used to visions, but not the recurring nightmares that have crowded her sleep since her client, Laura Neff, was found drowned in Oakland, California's Lake Merritt. When Daniel Burnette, the homicide investigator assigned to the case, rules the death accidental, she realizes it will be up to her to prove what her senses already know-that the teenager was murdered and that the policeman has his own reasons for wanting the case closed. With the help of the Tarot and private investigator, Atticus Spencer, Eileen uncovers a handful of suspects who have reason to want Laura dead-including her ex-boyfriend, an Oaktown rap producer. As she hones in on the killer's identity and places her own life in danger, Eileen is forced to confront her doubts about her intuitive abilities, her feelings for Atticus, and the deadly message hidden in the Eight of Pentacles.