Daniel Wunsch is worried about his teenage daughter, Cordelia. He worries that she is drinking too much-which she is-and he's particularly worried because his mother had a serious problem with alcohol. In fact, his troubled mother disappeared when he was seventeen. She left a note, left the family, and vanished thirty years ago. Now, as he looks at Cordelia, who bears a striking resemblance to her missing grandmother, he feels certain that disaster is imminent. And he can't help but feel angry at her for ignoring his concerns. Cordelia is hurt and puzzled by her father's angry, rejecting comments and his dire predictions about her future. She keeps a packed suitcase under her bed, ready to leave home at any moment. In the middle of this family conflict, Dan starts receiving anonymous tips regarding the possible whereabouts of his mother. He sets out to follow the clues, getting glimpses along the way of his mother's missing years. Meanwhile, his relationship with Cordelia only gets worse until she reaches her breaking point. In this engaging and psychologically insightful book, the reader travels back and forth in time to follow three interwoven stories, three points of view, and three members of a family as they struggle to find each other and repair the disrupted bonds between them.