Lena Adams has spent her life trying to forget her childhood in Reece, the small town that nearly destroyed her. She has built a new life as a police detective in Heartsdale, a hundred miles away, but nothing could have prepared her for the violence that erupts when she is forced to return. A brutal murder leaves a young woman burned beyond recognition, and Lena is the only suspect.

When Heartsdale's police chief, Jeffrey Tolliver, learns that his detective has been arrested, he has no choice but to help Lena, bringing along his wife, the coroner Sara Linton. However, shortly after their arrival, a second victim is found. The town closes ranks, and both Jeffrey and Sara find themselves entangled in a terrifying underworld of prejudice and rage—a violent world that shocks even them. But can they uncover the truth?.