Bruton is a community struggling to survive - and to retain some of the values of the old world. Led by tough former lawyer Helen Locke, it's a small town where people struggle to remain civilized, to keep their technology and to survive. Until Tom Milkins shows up - and Locke knows he's trouble right away. When a young scout is brutally murdered, it's clear that Bruton - and Locke - might have more than they bargained for. Can they keep the light of civilization in a world full of wild children and dangerous, patriarchal men?