The story begins with a catastrophic, unexplainable plane crash. Three hundred and thirty dead, no survivors. Among the victims, the wife and two young daughters of Los Angeles Post crime reporter Joe Carpenter. A year later, still gripped by an almost paralyzing grief, unable to work, unable to imagine any relief but his own death, Joe encounters a woman named Rose. She claims to have survived the crash, and holds out a tantalizing possibility: a secret that will bring Joe peace of mind. But before he can ask any questions, she slips away...