In 1848 Preacher Paul Crane rides intoTennessee, hunting evil he knows must hide in the mountains. He’s sure he finds it in Ellen Bridges, a woman of music and magic. When he throws her down a well, the children she loves take revenge, pushing him in after. As Crane falls, he curses children, town, and mountains. When 8 of the children survive the American Civil War, they find themselves adults in a place where even the river whispers curses. Where one by one, each meets their destiny.