Jason Cardiff, Wall Street wizard and millionaire, is found drowned in his Hampton home swimming pool. At the time his wife, Christina, is at an exclusive Midwest rehab center. She leaves the center to return home, to find her son Tyler still with her in-laws, who want to keep him. She foolishly returns to the arms of Daniel Cunningham, a blue-collar worker who had been doing work for them. She also returns to her alcoholism and, with no control over it or her obsession with Daniel, she becomes a suspect in her husband's death even though she was not present.

Details emerge about Daniel's past and his involvement with Christina, which was instigated by Jason, who wanted evidence against her so he could obtain a divorce and negate their prenup. The final ending is suspenseful and surprising.

Riptide is the story of a pathetic woman who has no control of her emotions. Her battle with alcohol is recorded in detail, as is her inability to withstand the pressures of her lover. She is at odds with her in-laws who have no respect for her. This is a sad story of a woman who seems to be unable to find herself and set her life in order. She is self-destructive and an individual who has always been in the wrong place at the wrong time.