The body of a young woman washes up in the harbor of the New England small town of Paradise. Police Chief Jesse Stone quickly uncovers the identity of the deceased: Florence Horvath from Florida, attractive, wealthy, and with a penchant for unusual sexual games. A combination that evidently led to her downfall. In his investigation, Jesse Stone encounters resistance. Florence was last seen on a yacht in Fort Lauderdale. The owner and crew remain silent, as do Florence's sisters, the very blonde and very tanned twins. Even the parents behave strangely indifferent. A seemingly tangled web of sex, lies, and repression, but Jesse is a stubborn dog, and a case is only closed when it is solved.