Martha Macnamara knows that her daughter, Elizabeth, is in trouble; she
just doesn't know what kind. Mysterious phone calls from San Francisco
at odd hours of the night are the only contact she has had with
Elizabeth for years. Now, Elizabeth has sent her a plane ticket and
reserved a room for her at San Francisco's most luxurious hotel. Yet she
has not tried to contact Martha since she arrived, leaving her lonely,
confused, and a little bit worried. Into the story steps Mayland Long, a
distinguished-looking and wealthy Chinese man who lives at the hotel and
is drawn to Martha's good nature and ability to pinpoint the truth of a
matter.
Mayland and Martha become close in a short period of time and he
promises to help her find Elizabeth, making small inroads in the mystery
before Martha herself disappears. Now Mayland is struck by the
realization, too late, that he is in love with Martha, and now he fears
for her life. Determined to find her, he sets his prodigious
philosopher's mind to work on the problem, embarking on a potentially
dangerous adventure.
