Hannah her sisters and fourteen year old niece Julie set sail from Baltimore on a bonding cruise and have a dramatic first night when Pia Fanucci a bubbly bartender magicians assistant whom Hannah befriends narrowly escapes injury during an illusion. But while Pia may make light of the incident its no laughing matter when Julie suddenly disappears. Has she gone overboard or is she injured somewhere on the enormous ship? To make matters worse Hannah meets David Warren a grieving father whose twenty two year-old daughter vanished without trace from an earlier cruise. With claims of a proper investigation proving to be an illusion too far Hannah teams up with David and Pia in desperation. Can they see through the ships smoke and mirrors to reveal the identity of a dangerous sea faring predator?