Candace Alison Wilson is missing.

As the hours since her disappearance build into days, a small town’s certainty that a simple domestic spat has led her to walk out gives way to suspicion. Everyone knows everyone else’s motive; everyone knows who has reason to be guilty.

After all, isn’t Candace’s husband Jack the architect of an wildly unpopular multi-million dollar housing development? Didn’t her (younger, prettier) sister lead the opposing protests? Why is her father busier pursuing a new relationship than looking for his daughter? Doesn’t it seem strange that of everyone, her brother-in-law is the one most hell-bent on finding her? And why won’t Jack sit down to a simple supper with the family lawyer?

Nothing escapes the notice of ‘Marguerite’, the anonymous chat-room regular who describes the faults and foibles of the townspeople with gleeful and unflinching keystrokes. While the mixed-up stories of blame and distrust threaten to destroy a family and weaken the town itself, ‘Marguerite’ has all the answers. If only someone were listening…