On the surface Joseph Pullman seems to have left his unhappy childhood far behind: as the town undertaker and a council member, he is now a respected citizen of Henderson, Maryland. But Joe's father is in jail for the brutal murder of a young boy and despite his wife's questions, Joe can't - or won't - talk about his past.

When his wife disappears, and a woman's severed hand is found inside a glove, Joe decides it's finally time to confront his past. Only to discover that his past has beaten him to it...