The past has power. A promising writer, Quinn Boyd dreams of completing his novel, breaking free from the shackles of his past. While researching a magazine article on genealogy, Quinn is confronted with a history of family violence, his own history. The deeds of his newly-discovered ancestors become a backdrop to his violent upbringing. Fear, and the darkness of the past, begin to corrode his present life. The pull of anger, present and past, threatens his sobriety, his work, and his love. Quinn feels control of his life slipping from his fingers, wrenched away by unseen hands. When a deadly mystery brings suspicion to Quinn’s door, he fights to maintain his footing in the flood of events. But the past seems determined to pull him under, into the realm of violence. Battered by external forces, Quinn must also journey through his own darkness. There are markers on the path: his beautiful lover Sonya, old friends, unlooked for allies. But the past is powerful; there are foes as well. Quinn must face his most visceral fear, a fear made manifest in one man. Only then will he be able to shake free the chains of his past. To give in to the anger is to risk losing his sobriety, his love, his very life.