After the death of his wife, children, and grandchildren in a highway accident, which also killed the drivers who were at fault, Barry Wilk has nothing to live for -until he receives a mysterious summons to visit Lark Castle, his former sweetheart and the great love of his life. Lark is dying; it's too late for them to have a second chance. Forty years ago, during his freshman year at college, their romance had been derailed - accidentally, he'd thought at the time. But Lark confides in him how a number of their friends had deliberately and maliciously conspired to keep them apart. Embittered and enraged, Wilk decides to inflict on the conspirators the same depth of unhappiness they'd caused him. Time doesn't matter, only vengeance, Justice. Drawing on his military experience and a flair for disguises, he plans his revenge carefully and sets out on his implacable course. But soon he encounters complications. The worst of these is that his favorite cousin, Max Calderon, is in love with the daughter of Barry's worst enemy, the instigator of long ago conspiracy. And to make matters worse, Max is a homicide detective. Which will prove stronger, the craving for revenge, or love for who remains?