What determines the course of our lives? Chance . . . or destiny?On Midsummer's Day, 1982, three-year-old Azalea Ives is found alone at a seaside fairground.One year later, her mother's body washes up on a beach-her link to Azalea unnoticed.On Midsummer's Day, 1992, her adoptive parents are killed in a Ugandan rebel uprising; Azalea is narrowly rescued by a figure from her past.Terrified that she, too, will meet her fate on Midsummer's Day, Azalea approaches Thomas Post, an expert in debunking coincidences. Azalea's past, he insists, is random-but as Midsummer's Day approaches, he worries that she may bring fate upon herself.