On a rainy, moonless night in rural Mississippi, fourteen-year-old Missy Needham witnesses a brutal murder. Leaving her pa's heirloom pocket knife at the river and going back to retrieve it was the biggest mistake she ever made because the killer spotted her. Now her life and her pa's are in danger. Missy soon discovers a web of victimization hiding under the surface of their quiet town. Looking for answers, she forms a motley alliance with a school bully, a friendly nerd, and a rage-filled roommate. At a final stand-off with the murderer, Missy will have to remember lessons she learned at the river to survive.