In the spring of 1954, Dawson, Georgia, is a quiet place-a good place to raise a family. Until one savage act shatters the peace of this small Southern town.
Six-year-old Noah McAllister is oblivious to the fact that he is about to set off a chain of events that will lead to the downfall of the McAllister family. As he makes the quarter-mile trek home from school, Noah is unaware that just yards away, hidden behind the solid oaks that line the dirt road leading to the McAllister farm, someone is watching.
At first, lost in a daydream, he doesn't hear the muffled whimper or see the melon crate tucked among the trees. When the sound comes again, Noah looks up and spots the crate. As he rushes excitedly toward it, he's certain it must be a puppy or kitten. Instead, he finds an abandoned baby.
Then, suddenly, a dark car explodes from behind the trees and careens onto the road.
A second later, it's gone-leaving behind a trail of dust as the only evidence it had been there at all.
By the time the dust settles on that Godforsaken day, nearly every man in town will have blood on his hands.