Desperate times call for desperate measures, and maybe some revelations along the way.

When Jimmy receives a letter from Miss June of The Angel, asking for his assistance in locating a missing Caliope, he and Oscar leave their cozy homestead and new friends in Port Essington to travel back to Telegraph Creek. Sorry to have to abandon their recently built house and the new life they’ve made, Oscar and Jimmy can’t ignore the plight of the folks they met on their dangerous journey, and once they arrive, it is a delight to be reunited with the people they’d gotten to know so well. Due to an injury, Jimmy is unable to help look for Cal, so Oscar and Trick go searching.

They find Cal on a broken-down ranch caring for three young children in less-than-ideal circumstances. But is Cal the victim of the unexpected departure of her husband—or are there darker secrets to be discovered? When the truth comes out, Miss June and the women of The Angel must figure out a way to help Cal face her future and deal with the repercussions of her desperate actions.

*Reader advisory: This book contains a brief description of murder and assault in the character's past.