"I m dying. I m very rich. I have an extremely interesting offer for you." Kate Lerner, a Chicago radio host, cannot believe what she s reading when the letter comes. It s from her ex-husband, Richard, who disappeared fifteen years ago when their son, Danny, was still a toddler. Not a word, not a dollar has come Kate s way in all that time . . . Until now, when this despicable man has the audacity to come back into her life. What does it mean? And even though she could surely use some financial help, does Kate really want to find out? Her twin sister, Karen, says of course. Even David, the new man in her life, agrees. When Kate finally hears about what Richard has to say, she decides that his outlandish proposal is worth one innocent lie to her family. But one lie inevitably leads to another, triggering a chain of events that completely turns her carefuly constructed world upside down.