When I find a little girl standing on my doorstep, I don't know what to do. But as I take her small hand in mine, she whispers words that will change my life. "Mummy said you'd look after me."

As I tuck the children into bed, I feel a familiar longing stirring in my heart. I press a gentle kiss onto their foreheads, then remind myself that they are not mine. So why are they here?

Once the children are asleep, I unfold the note my ex-husband's daughter had clutched in her hand when I found her and her brother on my doorstep. Smoothing the paper, I read the message again: Please take care of them. They are better off with you.

I look out the window, but whoever brought them to my house has vanished without a trace. It must have been their mother, but when I called earlier, there was no answer. I try again, but no one picks up.

Who would abandon their children in the dead of night, and why would my ex-husband's new wife entrust them to me? And if my instinct is right, and something is terribly wrong, how can I protect them?

An utterly compelling and heartbreaking story about motherhood and a devastating family secret. Those who love Kate Hewitt, Jodi Picoult, and Diane Chamberlain will be totally captivated by this deeply emotional novel.