In the City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a man, James Johnston, has gone missing. The story quickly fills the local newspapers and becomes a captivation of the media. The fascination with the story is further fueled by the fact that the victim's brother, Dylan, is the lead investigator on the case. His search for his brother will lead him to places of peculiarity, illusion, and magic. In the end the case will be revealed to be much more than a simple missing person.