Stranded by a raging hurricane, a group of strangers find themselves trapped at a grand antebellum mansion, now a boutique hotel. Novelist Callum Burke, known for his historical bestsellers, is among the guests, the Oleander Plantation the main stop on a research trip for his new book, while several couples from up north are in New Orleans to celebrate personal milestones. As the hurricane batters the house and the waters rise, Callum is found hanging from an ancient oak, murdered in the same way as the notorious villain in his most popular book. Cut off from the outside world, the guests soon realize that the murderer might strike again, and everyone at the plantation could either be the next victim or the killer. The Oleander Plantation becomes the perfect setting for a real-life locked-room mystery, where the truth is buried beneath layers of deceit, hidden motives, and suppressed desires. The tempest outside mirrors the chaos within the mansion's walls, and plot devices from Callum’s book become clues as truth and fiction collide in a deadly narrative.