Life doesn't give us many second chances. One autumn evening, almost fourteen years after she vanished from his life, Daniel catches a glimpse of his childhood sweetheart. Having seen her, he finds he cannot forget her again. When Daniel Matlock's proposal to his girlfriend is rejected, his world is turned upside down. Hoping to make a fresh start, he leaves London and returns to the place where he spent his summer holidays as a boy, in the heart of the New Forest. Too late, he realises that the success of his new life depends on finding Hetty, his childhood friend and first love. But nobody seems to remember her. Only when he meets Matthias Werner, a former officer in the Luftwaffe, does he begin to piece together what happened to her. But his search for her has unexpected consequences, and brings him into conflict with someone who will stop at nothing to keep the truth from coming out.