It's been one year since Joshua Steadman buried his second wife, along with the secrets surrounding her death. It seems like only yesterday, his enigmatic obsession, Rose Umbra, left town with more than just his heart. But Joshua has licked his wounds and is in hot pursuit of Rose once and for all. He is back as the new mayor of Chester, Virginia, his backwoods hometown he vowed never to return until he learns that Rose opened a bookstore in the next town. Meanwhile, Rose has been living a quiet life setting up shop and seducing Joshua's newest competition, the fiery Annabelle. But Anabelle and Rose have a chemistry like no other, one that Rose finds hard to resist and that Joshua wants to destroy. Back in Fairview, Virginia Barnes is recovering from the trauma Joshua and his despicable threats inflicted on her last year. She's sobered up and has found a little happiness with her new buff mail carrier; unfortunately, it's only fleeting. A stranger lurks in all the wrong places, hoping to exhume everything Rose, Joshua, and Virginia have tried to suppress. Murder, lies, and betrayal continue to haunt this trio until finally, one person takes a stand and makes everything wrong finally right.