This fast-moving thriller begins with the accidental death of Paul Morris’s first wife, Jacky. Jacky and Paul had moved to Como from England, to live and work in Italy. After Jacky’s death, Paul immerses himself in his work, but Sandra Rovello, a colleague at Corvo Pharmaceuticals takes an interest in him and invites him to her family’s house in the mountains for the weekend. Paul realises he needs a change in his life and is ready for a new relationship. His passion for Sandra blinds him to the fact that there are strange aspects to Sandra, like the car which exceeds her income, or the trip to Lugano, Switzerland, where she secretly delivers a suspicious package to an expensively
dressed man. Sandra then invites Paul to stay at the family home in Portofino, by the sea. Paul becomes more and more suspicious of Sandra. His suspicions are confirmed when the man he observed in Lugano arrives at the house. He is Andrea, a business associate of Mr Rovello. That night Paul overhears a conversation between Andrea and Mr Rovello which suggests he is
being used in some sort of illegal activity. But Paul’s love for Sandra helps to lessen his suspicions, despite the fact that one of the guards at the house knocks him out when he takes a night-time stroll. Paul and Sandra now set off by car to England from Italy. Paul notices little incidents which harden his suspicions. Andrea and his friends seem to be following them, and Sandra receives mysterious phone calls. In his exasperation, Paul throws away her mobile phone. Paul finally confronts Sandra near Paris and demands an explanation. Sandra tells the sorry tale
of how the Rovello family are in the power of Andrea and his associates, and the business they are involved in is smuggling works of art, some of which are hidden in Paul’s car. Paul and Sandra decide to return to Italy. Early the next morning, they are surprised by Andrea and his friends, who have tracked them by a radio signal fitted to their car. They are kept prisoner at a farmhouse
near Dieppe, but Paul manages to escape and release Sandra. They make a desperate dash south, having sabotaged the other cars. They are nearing the south when Paul realises that Andrea and company have caught up with them. A frantic motorway chase follows. Paul’s reckless driving
attracts the attention of the motorway police. The chase ends in a multiple accident in which Paul is
injured, Sandra seriously, and Andrea is killed. The threat to the Rovello family is removed and Mr Rovello and Sandra can resume a normal life. Paul and Sandra later marry, but the marriage doesn’t
last long. She emigrates to the USA with her second husband, and Paul leads a solitary life in Como, still thinking about his first wife Jacky, and how our lives can be changed by sheer chance.