On holiday on the New England coast, Hugh Westlake is enjoying the sun, the sea and the fishing. It being September, the inn where he's staying is almost empty. The peace is shattered when a woman's body is found strangled on the beach, with a red circle drawn around a mole on her face. The morbid scene becomes more so when she's identified as the governess of a family staying at the inn. Hugh gets drafted by local police to help with the investigation. He uncovers dysfunctional parents, a creepy mortician, a handsome lifeguard and a woman painter-all with secrets to hide. Not to mention local legends. When another woman is murdered, with a mole circled, Hugh realizes he must tie up the loose ends of crimes past and present to net a most diabolical killer.