From the glamorous San Francisco social scene of the 1920s, through war and the social changes of the '60s, to the rise of Silicon Valley today, this extraordinary novel takes us on a family odyssey that is both heartbreaking and inspiring, as each generation faces the challenges of their day.

It is New Year's Eve when the storm of the century hits northern California. In a quiet neighborhood in San Francisco, the lives of three strangers are about to collide.

Life for Stephanie Adams is all about being a devoted mother. For years, she has kept her unhappy marriage a secret, intent on protecting her children from seeing their family break up. Then Stephanie's husband dies suddenly, and she sees a chance for everything to be different. Stephanie strives to balance her children's grief with her desire to move on from the past -- but after years of giving up her life for everyone else, what should she do next?...

A woman marries into a ready-made family and learns the true meaning of motherhood.

Detective Lindsay Boxer is jogging along a beautiful San Francisco street when a fiery explosion rips through the neighborhood. A town house owned by an internet millionaire is immediately engulfed in flames, and when Lindsay plunges inside to search for survivors, she finds three people dead. An infant who lived in the house cannot be found--and a mysterious message at the scene leaves Lindsay and the San Francisco Police Department completely baffled....