Ater receiving a frantie later from her newlywed cousin, Noem Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside, unsure what she will find. Noem/ is an unlikely rescuer: She's a glamorous debutante, more suited to cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she's also tough, smart, and not afraid: not of her cousin's new English husband, a stranger who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems fascinated by Noemi; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi's dreams with visions of blood and doom. Noemi's only ally in this inhospitable place is the family's youngest son. But he too may be hiding something dark. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place, as Noem discovers when she begins to unearth stories of violence and madness. Mesmerized by this terrifying yet seductive world, Noemí may soon find it impossible to save her cousin-or even escape this enigmatic house.