Reba Lafferty was a daughter of privilege, the only child of an adoring father. Nord Lafferty was already in his fifties when Reba was born, and he could deny her nothing. Over the years, he quietly settled her many scrapes with the law, but he wasn't there for her when she was convicted of embezzlement and sent to the California Institution for Women.

Now, at thirty-two, Reba is about to be paroled, having served twenty-two months of a four-year sentence. Nord wants to be sure she stays straight, and stays at home - away from the drugs, the booze, and the gamblers.

He reaches out to Kinsey Millhone. As the blurb at the front of the book puts it, "It seems a straightforward assignment for Kinsey: babysit Reba until she settles in, make sure she follows all the rules of her parole. Maybe all of a week's work. Nothing untoward - the woman seems remorseful and friendly. And the money is good." But life is never that simple, especially for Kinsey. Reba is out of prison less than twenty-four hours when her old crowd begins to circle round.