From the bestselling author of The  Carousel and Daybreak  comes a stirring, timely story of adultery and its  impact on the American  family.

Margaret and Adam Crane seem to have a near perfect  life--she's a teacher, he's a computer executive, and  together they are lovingly raising their own  children and Margaret's orphaned niece. Then one day  the phone rings--and suddenly everything changes  forever as a woman from Adam's university days  reappears in his life, and an old affair re-ignites. At  the same time, there are problems in Adam's  workplace--a possible takeover and downsizing. The  reverberations from these two circumstances will touch  many lives and bring with them changes that no one  could have predicted.

In  Promises, Belva Plain--as only she can  do--depicts the fraying fabric of family life in  the wake of extramarital affairs, while at the same  time celebrating the importance of strong and  nurturing family values. Dramatic, compelling, and  always exciting, Belva Plain's storytelling talents  confirm her standing as the foremost chronicler of  family life today.