Small-town reporter Vince Marshall has a plan to be a better dad wean himself from his cell phone and a 24/7 work mentality and spend more time with his toddler. But when his daughter discovers the local judge swinging from a noose at the playground and Vince's friend becomes a murder suspect, that plan unravels. With toddler in tow, Vince knocks heads with a coworker out for his beat and a mayor with questionable motives while chasing clues left by a senile grave robber. Meanwhile, arson, vandalism, domestic violence, and a contested election have the normally staid residents of Apostle Bay, a quaint harbor town on the southern shore of Lake Superior, at odds. Add Vince's wife Deb to the mix, leading a contentious protest at City Hall, and Vince finds his life once again out of control. Restoring order and saving his friend will require following a trail of deception to the solution of a 150-year-old mystery.