Josh is returning home, tail between legs, his Toronto life in shambles. Home to the backwoods backwater, Magnon, that owes its existence to the local lumber mill. The mill and with it the town are the fiefdom of a family to which he's distantly related. He's come back ostensibly to help look after his ailing father. But as a journalist trying to salvage both life and career, it's really to write. He has in mind a story about Magnon as a small-town microcosm - a mix of history, geography, local characters. But as he starts to dig around, he encounters unexpected hostility, especially as some surprising truths turn up on his shovel. His childhood friend, Sam, son of the town's patriarch, pitches in to help him, as does Sophie, the sister of another acquaintance from the past. Together the three of them navigate the speedbumps they keep hitting, even as the story mushrooms on them. Revelations draw closer to Josh himself as they ensnare first Sam and then his own mother. He grapples with the dilemma of which secrets to divulge and how, as his article evolves from a microcosm to an account of a town that's far less anonymous. And as they head down the home-stretch on their endeavor, events take a chilling turn, upheaving far more than just their project. Looming over it all - the town, its stories, Josh and his fellow chroniclers - is the firetower that heard and saw and even hosted, but never told anyone.