Nicola Ferris, impetuous, attractive, and on holiday from the British Embassy in Athens, arrives in Crete a day ahead of schedule and discovers adventure and romance. Blithely savoring the wild beauty of the countryside, she stumbles across an assured young Englishman hiding out in the hills who is less than pleased to have been found. Before long, events begin to spiral in an alarmingly perilous fashion, leading to a stunning climax among the fishing boats of Agios Georgios Bay. With her keen delineation of character, Mary Stewart once again casts an enviable spell of suspense on readers.