Chris and Deborah Latham seem to have a perfect life: a happy marriage; a picturesque Long Island home; a beautiful young daughter; and Michael, the Romanian orphan they adopted when he was eighteen months old. But Michael, now five, becomes more violent and emotionally disturbed each day, and his behavior not only isolates other children and parents but it soon threatens to tear apart the Latham family. Chris and Deborah must ponder the unthinkable: giving Michael back. In a stunning literary work that examines the issues of adoption, abuse, and unconditional love, Susan Merrell has given us a provocative novel to ponder long after the last page is turned.