As the interminable case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce grinds its way through the Court of Chancery, it draws together a disparate group of people: Ada and Richard Clare, whose inheritance is gradually being devoured by legal costs; Esther Summerson, a ward of court, whose parentage is a source of deepening mystery; and, more.
An art expert sees a ten-million-dollar sculpture and instantly spots it's a fake. A marriage analyst knows within minutes whether a couple will stay together. A fire-fighter suddenly senses he has to get out of a blazing building. This book is all about those moments when we 'know' something without knowing why.
Abandoned by her mother with only some cash, her birth certificate and the rucksack on her back, a young woman named Maren sets off on a long journey of self-discovery. She doesn't blame her mother for leaving, she's only too aware of the trail of pain and tragedy that lies in her wake, following her like a ghost.