Andrew's love of Cargill's Castle stemmed from his time spent with his aunt in the school holidays. They spent many happy hours at the castle, now a ruin, that looked out on the Pacific Ocean. They dreamed of how the castle was in its heyday and were captivated by its rich history. When Andrew received a generous legacy from an uncle, he purchased the ruins and set about restoring it to its former glory. When the builders moved in they found, in what was left of the rafters, a painting of a beautiful woman. Drawn to the painting Andrew went in search of other paintings by this artist. He asked Jess, a researcher from the Otago Settlers Museum, who had helped Andrew with the history of the castle, to find other paintings. "Who is this woman? Where did she come from? Why did she have such a presence?" The mystery of the painting drew Jess into Andrew's story. However, in stead of bringing them together its guility secret pushed them apart. Jess, berefit when her beloved Gran died, found the answer to this chilling mystery in the memoirs written by her g/g/g/grndmother Jessica. Jessica's story reveals how one woman is more than a match for life's inconsistencies and how it is Jessica's determination to overcome her fate that inspires Jess to search for the truth. Will Cargill's Castle provide the answers she is looking for? Or will its secret lay dormant, lost in the pages of time?