As a counsellor, based in Exeter's Cathedral Green, Evie Adams ponders the extraordinary circumstances surrounding her latest clients, and the way they've impacted upon her own life. On the one hand is Phoebe, terrified that a distant relation is going to contest her deceased mother's will. On the other is Matt, seeking, with Evie's help, to solve the mystery surrounding his biological parentage - all of which raises the question again and again as to whether adoption equates to being chosen or cheated. Waiting for the higher ferry to take her across the River Dart from Dartmouth to Kingswear, Evie can't help equating it to some people's real-life experiences. Back and forth they ply, driven by an outside force; tethered to a lifestyle that inhibits freedom. Is Matt's cousin one of them, Evie wonders? Will she ever be unleashed, and thus be enabled to follow her dreams
