One freezing winter morning a dead body is found in the backyard of the Dharma family's house. It's the body of Anu Krishnan.
For Anu, a writer seeking a secluded retreat from the city, the Dharmas' "back-house" in the sleepy mountain town of Merrit's Point was the ideal spot to take a year off and begin writing. She had found the Dharmas' rental through a happy coincidence. A friend from university who had kept tabs on everyone in their graduating year -- including the quiet and reserved Vikram Dharma and his first wife, Helen -- sent her the listing. Anu vaguely remembered Vikram but had a strong recollection of Helen, a beautiful, vivacious, social and charming woman.
But now Vikram had a new wife, a marriage hastily arranged in India after Helen was killed in a car accident. Suman Dharma, a stark contrast to Helen, is quiet and timid. She arrived from the bustling warmth of India full of the promise of her new life -- a new home, a new country and a daughter...