During her maternity leave, Cambridge academic Cassandra James gets involved in a production of East Lynne. There is as much drama behind the scenes as there is on stage. The director is desperate to revive his flagging career. The maker of a fly-on-the-wall documentary is equally desperate to launch his.

The crisis is reached when the leading lady disappears before the first night. Cassandra thinks it is more than stage fright, for Melissa has left six-month-old Agnes behind. Cassandra’s struggles to uncover the truth lead her deeper and deeper in a maze of illusion and deceit. Someone close at hand is not what they seem. Cassandra and her baby are in grave danger . . .

"Poulson deftly keeps up the tension while manipulating the roles characters play on and off the stage: an academic cozy with attitude." - Kirkus Reviews