"I won't give up on us, Barbara. Not today, not tomorrow, not with my last breath."

Barbara Baines Allen has finally gotten the life she wants--a great job, a comfortable home in southern California, and friends she can count on. Her classes on familicide and family dynamics are always full, and she's confident she'll move up to Associate Professor in two or three years.

The only fly in the ointment is her occasional court appearances as an expert witness in indigenous familicide. One case brings her into the orbit of an annoyed FBI agent who doesn't appreciate her torpedoing two of his cases. Her superior takes a more tolerant view and a second look at Barbara. Later, on the run from the Mexican mafia and rogue FBI agents, Barbara faces a hard truth. Sometimes, you can't control everything. Maybe you can never control anything.