Alicia, a young American girl in England, visits an old churchyard and evokes Elvira, a sprightly, mischievous young ghost who in turn introduces her to three extraordinary women from three critical moments in history, when each triumphed in a male-dominated society. Considered the greatest English queen, Matilda of Flanders came from Normandy with William the Conqueror and was at the forefront of politics and culture in her era. Sofonisba Anguissola was an accomplished Renaissance artist who studied with Michelangelo and became his protégé, and Lucie Dillon, once a lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette at Versailles, survived the Terror, living in the new United States as a farmer for a time before returning to France to aid Napoleon and Josephine build the social connections they needed to manage their political power. In their own words, these ghostly women describe their widely different lives and loves, and the three periods in which they lived—the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the French Revolution.

Alicia Thorne and a few others have been given a vaccine that can extend life span by centuries. Why then have so many people had to die for it? As a young doctor walks a desolate hospital hallway, while working a lonely night shift, he realizes that he is being pursued. Cautiously, he writes a plea for help in the in-patient chart of Alicia Thorne. His small note is the key to finding out the horrid secret behind the vaccine and more importantly, how to destroy it. In spite of his efforts, that night the young doctor is murdered in the gross pathology department, while Alicia Thorne is discharged form the hospital and her in-patient chart is carted away to Medical Records to collect dust, until one hundred thirty-two years later. Throughout the story, we catch glimpses of Dr. Holtz’s life—past, present and future. We learn about Mr. Helfrick, a man who knows nothing of his beginnings nor if he will ever have and end. We later realize that he is patient zero and that it is through his cells that the vaccine is born. We learn of a future age-conscious society, far more sophisticated than our present society, yet all too familiar.

As Sir Michael Audley celebrates his marriage to Lucy Graham, his nephew, the barrister Robert Audley, welcomes his old friend George Talboys back to England, after three years of gold prospecting in Australia. George finds out that his wife Helen has died and that his son is under the care of his father in law. After settling the matter of the boy's guardianship, the Robert and Geroge set off to visit Sir Michael. While at the country manor Audley Court, Lady Audley avoids meeting George, and when the two seek an audience with the new Lady Audley, she makes many excuses to avoid their visit. Shortly thereafter, George disappears during a visit to Audley Court, much to Robert's consternation. Unwilling to believe that George has simply left suddenly and without notice, Robert begins to look into the circumstances around George's strange disappearance. His notes indicate the involvement of Lady Audley, much to his chagrin, and he slowly begins to collect evidence against her.

Since leaving the CIA under questionable circumstances, Amanda Caldwell has been living a quiet, uneventful life in a sleepy mountain town. But when Rick Cooper, her former partner—and former lover—makes an unexpected reappearance, she senses things are about to get a lot more interesting.… Rick's mission is to protect Amanda and her identity from an assassin who's picked up her trail. It isn't long before working together stirs up all the passion and energy they'd once shared on the job. And in Rick's bed. Still, there's more to Rick's assignment than he can share with his "partner." Revealing the truth wouldn't be smart. But keeping his secret could be deadly.