When Paul Callaway moves with his wife to small-town Iowa, he means to be a good neighbor. He signs up for the Neighborhood Patrol and lends books to Brit, a budding twelve-year-old bibliophile. Everything goes terribly wrong, though, when the police show up at his house during the Callaways' holiday party. Brit has accused Paul of an unthinkable crime - one he didn't commit.

Suddenly the neighborhood leader asks Paul to move out; his wife, Sara, needs a break from their relationship; and his part-time teaching position at the university may be in jeopardy. Paul is desperate to figure out who framed him - and why - even as he puts his life in danger with every clue he uncovers.