Grimsley City, Kentucky, hasn't been particularly welcoming to Jim Carlos Singer. His father was killed in an as-yet-unsolved hit-and-run, his own practice hasn't gotten off the ground, and he's been the target of a series of anonymous threatening letters. These, however, turn out to be the least of his problems. When Singer accepts a job as a parole officer and judicial assistant to make ends meet, he finds himself in the middle of the sensational trial of Shirley Kentner, who is accused of planning the brutal torture and murder of her much older husband. Branded as a Jezebel by the community and facing a seemingly airtight prosecution, Shirley Kentner fascinates Singer, who can't believe she could be guilty. As he begins his own semiofficial investigation of the twisted case, Singer begins to uncover many of the unpleasant secrets that this small town is trying to protect, while his own shadowy past comes back to threaten his peace and his life.