Ronnie Sidney is a perfect child. The illegitimate by-product of a wartime romance, he gives his mother unconditional love when all she has known is loss, rejection and contempt. In her eyes, he is faultless: a glorious ray of sunshine in the grey of her existence. But beneath the golden exterior, a very different nature wages an ever stronger fight for life. For Susan Ramsey, life is easy. Cherished by her parents, she knows nothing of hardship or misery. Until the sudden death of her father - and an introduction to a new and deeply disturbing world. When Susan and Ronnie meet, the attraction is instant. Each recognises the soulmate for whom they have longed. At last Ronnie feels able to remove his mask of perfection. But, like Pandora's Box, what is released can never again be restrained.