"She cast her gaze to the unseen storm raging outside and thought of all the layers being presented to her, and whether she would be offered at some point a portal to another universe. "

Already recovering from the loss of her brother, Samantha - a young councillor from a village near Oxford - is not about to get any rest. As her influence and power grow, she faces threats from unexpected sources and it becomes clear that not only her future but that of the entire country - indeed, the world - is at stake.

She meets two men - an elderly music teacher and an American intelligence...