of Millie. At the start of the novel, John Woolfolk arrives at a serene bay in Georgia on his yacht, the "Gar". As he settles in for supper, he catches sight of a woman swimming—Millie Stope—who quickly disappears into the darkness, leaving him captivated and curious. Their subsequent interactions hint at her troubled background and strained family dynamics, particularly her frail father, Lichfield Stope, and a man named Nicholas, who harbors dangerous priorities concerning Millie. The opening chapters set the stage for a tension-filled exploration of love and danger, capturing Woolfolk's tumultuous emotions as he becomes increasingly entangled in Millie’s extraordinary story and the hidden perils of her world. (This is an automatically generated summary.)