In the forgotten town of Canebrulay, Louisiana, where sugarcane fields whisper secrets and the river never sleeps, thirteen-year-old Satchel Orgeron is about to uncover truths darker than the bayou at midnight.

After moving south to live with his grandparents, Satchel meets a strange boy named Prival who appears and vanishes like smoke. Prival sees things no one else does.

When Bella, the mysterious daughter of a shamanic family from Texas, arrives with the same terrifying visions, Satchel finds himself drawn into a web of supernatural encounters and buried town secrets, confronting a chilling legacy of betrayal, sacrifice, and the unseen forces that have stalked Canebrulay for generations.

But as Satchel edges closer to the truth, he begins to wonder: what if the real monsters aren't the ones hiding in the cane fields?

The Boy by the River is a Southern Gothic coming-of-age tale steeped in folklore, fear, and the fragile line between friendship and the unknown.