Cal Hudson knows the world can be an ugly place. As a reporter for a big Chicago newspaper, he's journeyed into the darkest corners to expose the vilest crimes, but the world he and his devoted wife, Faith, share is much nicer. They've made sure of it, creating a tranquil haven in suburban River Ridge to protect their precious nine-year-old son. But then the unthinkable happens: he vanishes. In a split second at a local carnival, their storybook world begins unraveling. A frantic search starts to uncover splinters in their carefully crafted facade, revealing buried secrets that cast just as much suspicion on Cal and Faith as on any ill-meaning stranger-proving that the line between love and violence can disappear just as suddenly as a child on a chaotic midway.