with her departure for a house-sitting home in the far north, julia hopes her life will take a new turn away from her old existence. right after she arrives at the snowy white house, in a suburb of the town, the neighbour makes a loud noise. the residents of the house-sitting home soon leave for the south. in a cupboard, julia finds newspaper articles that tell of a tragedy that happened in the nearby hotel, a mystery she wants to unravel. in the neighbourhood's only shop, she meets eileen, who, like her, is a stranger. when a restaurant owner tells her about the fateful incident at the hotel, julia's curiosity is piqued. the next day she goes to the dilapidated lakeside hotel, where she meets the owner, who was a suspect in a murder. shortly after, her neighbour joins them. when julia's love pays her a visit, it marks an abrupt end to her stay. previously, xandra lammers wrote the woman who vanished.