Rachael Carter, a young nurse, is asked to house-sit by a colleague she barely knows. Dr Cate O'Reilly is travelling to Vietnam with her husband to adopt a baby. Before long the request has changed. The couple need a surrogate. Rachael sees an opportunity to leave her own troubles behind, but is soon caught up in new struggles, both sexual and psychological. She discovers that this couple will do anything to see their dream of a child fulfilled. This novel is an unflinching depiction of the issues around motherhood, both past and present, by a writer at the peak of her talents.