16-year-old Marvin Miller and his family are about to celebrate Christmas when suddenly his father, Vern, disappears. Vern has been depressed lately, so has he walked off into the night to commit suicide? Or are there more somber forces at play, possibly including machinations by some of Vern's work colleagues? What role does Gail, Marvin's alcoholic mother, play in all this? Detective Sharon Prendergast has her work cut out when she is called...