A tangled web of deception that traps even the innocent...

Although Jane Prescott is only Chiyo Wada's English tutor, she cannot help befriending the delicate, aristocratic Japanese girl. When Chiyo presses Jane to join the Wada family at their plush villa for a New Year's celebration, Jane is curious enough to attend.

But soon after her arrival, a most unlikely event occurs: Soft spoken Chiyo is forced to protect herself by committing murder! The powerful Wada family quickly decides they most close ranks to protect Chiyo from the police and that Jane must become a conspirator in the plot.

As the drama of the police investigation slowly unfolds, Jane begins realize that all is not what it seems - and that her years of study in Japanese culture could never have prepared her for the dilemma that now confronts her...