Missing for seven months, fifteen-year-old Ted Wallace wakes by the river with no memory of where he has been or what has transpired during his absence. He only wants his life to return to normal, but soon he realizes the chaos that his disappearance caused, and that his return has only made matters worse.
His sister, feeling like an outcast from the family, finds solace in old friends and becomes a victim of horrendous bullying at school.
His mother is torn apart by conflicting emotions: concern for Ted given his life-long heart condition and anger about his disappearance which she diverts towards the local oddball.
Worst of all, his father, no longer able to contain his drinking problem, becomes convinced that the boy who has been returned is not his son at all, but a doppelganger with an insidious purpose.
As other missing persons return, Ted discovers where he has been and what he must do, but the sinister influences around his family threaten to tear them all to pieces before he can do what is necessary to bring their lives back to normal.
Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.