When a drought dries up the contents of a water hole on her uncle's property, investigative journalist Phillipa Davenport is astonished at what she finds. On a deadline and with a severe case of writers' block, Pip doesn't have time to investigate this story, she just wants to write her book. However, the universe and her neighbour seem to have other ideas. And then there's the mysterious detective assigned to the case, who Pip is beginning to find very distracting. When the only person of interest is a ninety-eight-year-old war veteran, who's unable to communicate and who appears to have been found unjustly guilty in the court of public opinion, Pip feels drawn to the case despite the fact she simply doesn't have time to take it on. But how often does an old cold case murder land on your doorstep? With more questions arising as each layer of the past is peeled back, Pip soon realises she's opened a can of worms, and secrets thought long-buried suddenly emerge bringing some hard truths for the little town to face.
