The Star Elite's investigation into the abduction of Rupert Kane, Lord Longbourne's son, takes them right to the water's edge, to Evie Millington's garden no less. Chandler is used to life in the shadows watching people going about their business. It annoys him, though, when he sees a pretty young woman wandering around Coplow Town without a chaperone. Chandler is determined to protect her from the men involved in the child abductions, and other criminal activity going on along the riverbank, but is swiftly drawn into many battles, the first and most important of which is to keep his hands to himself. Evie is intrigued by the mysterious Chandler. Not only does he appear to be following her, but he seems to know all her secrets. Determined to escape the boredom of her ordinary life, she yearns for adventure but is wholly unprepared to be drawn into Chandler's world, and into the middle of one of the Star Elite's investigations. It is inevitable, though, when it appears that her garden is being used by more than the family, and the Star Elite suspect that her and her parents are helping the child abductors. Can Evie prove her innocence? Will Chandler be able to keep his mind on the investigation and his hands to himself? Can they solve the mystery of who owns the black boat, or will the complex web of lies the bargemen keep telling bring about the Star Elite's first investigative failure?