One winter night, in the small Pennsylvania town of Wyalusing, a woman is found brutally murdered. Next to the body is Danny Bedford, a man with limited mental capabilities whose intimidating size has caused his neighbours to ostracise him. When the local bully-turned-deputy discovers Danny with the body, he's certain he knows what transpired. But in the long, freezing night that follows, the murder is only the first crime in an unstoppable chain of violence.