Old certainties prove to be anything but as genealogy sleuth Lydia Silverstream responds to a dying man’s plea. Her work, her home, her stuttering relationship, even her skills as a researcher, all the familiar patterns are disrupted, leaving her with more challenges than ever. And why won’t a mother tell her son who his father is? It all goes to show, as always, there’s so much more to a family’s history than the certificates would have you believe.