David Fox, fast approaching his fortieth birthday, is in the throes of a mid-life crisis - going nowhere, no purpose in life.Until one day, whilst walking on the beach, he comes across a message in a bottle, washed up at his feet. The message, written in 1953, is from a boy called John Marshall who claims his father is trying to kill him. David feels compelled to find out what happened to the boy all those years ago - and so he sets off to discover the truth.