Reeling from the violent death of her daughter and a confrontation with the Whistler, the monster who wrecked her life, Jess has fled the South for a tiny college town in New Hampshire. There she huddles in a fire-blackened house with her crippled lover, her infant grandson, and the creature that was once her daughter's best friend, who may or may not be a threat. Rebecca, an orphan undergrad caring for Jess's grandson, finds in Jess' house the promise of a family she has never known, but also a terrifying secret. Meanwhile, unhinged and unmoored, the Whistler watches from the rooftops and awaits his moment. And deep in the Mississippi Delta, the evil that spawned him stirs."