When Tate Marlowe discovers an abandoned mansion in Montford, the historical district in Asheville, NC, she realizes the place shares a distinctive design element with a small house she owns. Tate is sure this similarity cannot be accidental. Driven by a desire to discover the connection and save the neglected old house from destruction, she searches for its rightful owner and begins to unravel a family history strewn with murder, suicide, grief and shame. Her search leads her to an old man living out his last years in self-imposed isolation and a young woman searching for remnants of her past and a place to call home. With each revelation, Tate delves deeper into the lives of people inextricably connected by blood, family secrets, individual aspirations and calculated retribution.