Summary

Kristina McMorris's novel begins in the waiting area of a hospital. The narration vaguely describes a chain of events that involves the Mob without offering any concrete details. While reporters crowd the hospital's entrance, a detective approaches the story's narrator seeking a statement.

As chapter one begins, the prologue's narrative is abandoned and we are introduced to Ellis Reed, a reporter for the Philadelphia Examiner. As Ellis is returning from a Society page piece covering a quilting exhibit, his attention is captured by two young boys sitting on the front porch of a farmhouse. Next to them is a sign stating "2 children for sale". Ellis has already taken a photo of the children before he fully realizes what the sign says and that the complete significance of it registers. After briefly considering the children's situation and realizing that he is helpless to change...