In a small town where social standing is everything, Emma Downes is a formidable figure. Once a beauty courted by all, now a resilient, independent woman who runs the successful Peerless Restaurant. Her world is shaken when her son Philip, a missionary in Africa, writes that he is abandoning his calling and returning home. Philip's return is shrouded in mystery and hints of danger, as his letter speaks of uprisings and a narrow escape. Emma,...