Malia Del Ray has always been obsessed with understanding humanity—so much so that she once believed killing could illuminate the truth of what people really are, that murder could lead her to enlightenment of some kind. But when her volatile relationship with her mother shatters that twisted path, Malia flees Bellemoore, her isolated hometown in the Canadian wilderness, determined to build a life untouched by violence and the girl she once was. The world outside, however, refuses to cooperate with her attempts at reinvention. After a string of failures and mounting internal pressure, she returns to her hometown seeking a second chance. Instead, she finds a town that remembers too much, a man imprisoned for her crimes, a mayor who watches her every move, and a relentless lawyer who senses something is off. As Malia navigates a new job, an unexpected romance with a charming baker, new friends, and the suffocating weight of her past, she must confront the truth she's spent years avoiding: whether she is capable of goodness or destined to succumb to the darkness she once embraced.
