Big city girl Riley gets sent to her uncle's place up at Everton to straighten out certain things in her life. Taking care of a bookshop was not what she had in mind for a gap year but she finds Everton to be a quaint, charming little town with secrets of it's own. She meets diverse people such as the old Mr. Henderson, the bright and friendly Marc, eccentric Ms. Arabelle and a guy named Remy with a love for books and literature. Her newfound friends are an interesting lot, making her year at Everton less torturous than she had expected.However, her uncle suddenly brings home a girl only a few years younger and leaves her in Riley's care with strict instructions not to tell a single soul. Slowly she finds that life and the people in Everton have deep secrets of their own. She finds herself whisked off into a world of dangerous getaways when the President and his family are mysteriously kidnapped without even a ransom note.