In this love story set against the backdrop of revolution, Lavinia, a beautiful young woman from the upper class, becomes infused with the spirit of an ancient woman warrior and breaks free from her sheltered world, joining with rebels involved in a tragic, bloody struggle to free their country from an oppressive military dictatorship.
Outdoorsman and filmmaker Patrick Gallagher seeks redemption in the isolated town of Lawton, Vermont, attempting to revive his career. However, he finds no salvation there, neither for himself nor for Andie Nightingale, a troubled local policewoman who befriends him. Lawton harbors a dark history that has awakened a maniac's bloodlust and thirst for vengeance. Gallagher stumbles upon a gruesome discovery while fishing: the mutilated body of a large man, marred by a chilling drawing and a cryptic threat referencing Charon, the boatman to Hell. As more grisly murders occur, Gallagher and Nightingale confront their own haunting pasts and delve into the horrors of a century-old legacy. Their investigation leads them to the lost writings of a deceased Lakota woman, revealing brutal, shared guilt tied to the town's dark history. Evil once arrived in Lawton with a traveling show and has lingered for a century, manifesting as a terrifying killer who preys on those protecting their ancestors' secrets. The key to understanding Charon's power and obsession lies in the forbidden realm of the Ghost Dance, a place Gallagher and Nightingale dread to explore.