In Janet LaPierre's supremely atmospheric mystery, schoolteacher Meg Halloran and her young daughter Katy move to a small town to start a new life. soon Meg receives anonymous letters and suspects that they originate from her former student, religious fanatic Dave Tucker. Dave accuses Meg of making sexual advances, and when he's found murdered, his father, a prominent banker, and many of the townspeople are conviced Meg is responsible. Her reputation and livelihood at stake, Meg, with the sympathetic support of Police Chief Gutierrez, strives to clear her name. Her enquiries uncover shocking and unsavoury secrets. But for Katy's survival and her own, she persists in finding the killer.