Maddy Waxfall, new to the rural community of Quannah, ventures out on a rainy day to explore the woods near her home and is haunted by a ghostly vision. She flees into the arms of a loner veteran, Jimmie Bass, who won't deny or confirm what she saw. At 14, Maddy is a determined girl and this experience launches her into the middle of a mystery that involves a generation-old mystery of these dark and blood-stained hills.