As a counsellor, based in Exeter's Cathedral Green, Evie Adams ponders
the extraordinary circumstances surrounding her latest clients, and the
way they've impacted upon her own life. On the one hand is Phoebe,
terrified that a distant relation is going to contest her deceased
mother's will. On the other is Matt, seeking, with Evie's help, to solve
the mystery surrounding his biological parentage - all of which raises
the question again and again as to whether adoption equates to being
chosen or cheated. Waiting for the higher ferry to take her across the
River Dart from Dartmouth to Kingswear, Evie can't help equating it to
some people's real-life experiences. Back and forth they ply, driven by
an outside force; tethered to a lifestyle that inhibits freedom. Is
Matt's cousin one of them, Evie wonders? Will she ever be unleashed, and
thus be enabled to follow her dreams