At twenty-one, Tom Hamilton leaves home to attend college at Oxford. While unpacking his trunk he accidentally finds a photo of his mother with a man who looks remarkably like him, but who is not the father he has known. Tom is curious as to the identity of this mystery man and what exactly his relationship is to his mother. Tom becomes even more curious when he asks his mother about the photo and she evades his questions and even lies to him.

As Tom begins to investigate his own birth records he discovers he was three years old when his parents married. He learns the identity of the man in the photo. His name is Jordan Hope. Jordan Hope is an American and is currently running for President of the United States. Is it possible this man could be his father?

For years Annie has been leading the life of a professional woman. A literary agent, wife and mother of three, she thought she had bolted shut the door to her past. How could she have been so stupid as to leave that old photo in her trunk?

With the presidential election less than a week away, Jordan Hope stands a good chance of becoming the next President of the United States. The emergence of an illegitimate child could kill his chances of winning. Tom Hamilton, by holding onto his belief that Jordan Hope is his father could turn the election upside down.

Tom visits the United States and spends a few days with his God-mother, Rose. Rose sheds some light on some of the families’ secrets and Tom returns to England feeling a closer kinship with his mother and at peace with himself.