When Sylvie Lancaster moves into her great-uncle?s house, she has no idea how upset the locals are about having an outsider move into their county, or the potential dangers that await her. The inhabitants and their ancestors have lived there for many years. City dwellers often come to the area hoping to buy a new home, but together, the locals conspire to keep them out. Sheriff Lyle Staten makes it known to all that she is a descendant of one of their kind and rightfully belongs there. He, along with his sister?s family, The Manlys, work to keep Sylvie safe from the sociopaths that live nearby. Troy Manly falls in love with Sylvie, and vows to keep her safe from the Masons, and their clan. Who are the worst of the lot and have no patience for the weak. The county?s inhabitants are very different from the average human. Although the human form is their natural state of being, they have the ability to transition or morph at will, into a larger, more powerful being. They choose to live amongst themselves, interactingwith outsiders only when they have to. Very few average humans are aware of the existence of these extraordinary humans and their incredible ability. Dr. Staten is one of the beings, capable of transitioning into the beast, and he often refers to his ability as a gift. However, his Son Calvin is an average human being that does not have ?the gift.? When Calvin goes missing, circumstantial evidence points to one of their own. His Cousin Troy Manly, one of the most powerful of their people, is sent to look for him. The county residents follow the laws of the land, unless those laws interfere with their own. Sometimes, common laws are broken in order to keep their existence a secret. When one of their laws is broken, the punishment is swift, and often brutal.