Jon Paul Gordon loses his wife to an auto accident. There is no way he can get over her while still living in their house, in their hometown. She was the love of his life, and now she's gone. Jon Paul escapes, moving to Appleby, a remote town in West Texas. Even so, he finds that he needs the help of the liquor bottle to quiet his mournful mind as he does his best to go on without his beloved Dahlia. He makes a new, devoted friend in Homer: a wandering, odd-looking dog. Through Homer, Jon Paul meets the local veterinarian, Dr. Nancy Reyna. Nancy lost her husband to a hunting accident years before, and the two build an immediate bond. As Jon Paul settles in, though, things get weird. Animals have been turning up dead, and now neighbors are seeing strange shadows in their backyards. There are devious forces at work in Appleby, and they seem to want to communicate with Jon Paul. They prey on the weakness of his alcoholism and on his devotion to new friends. Jon Paul may be willing to lean on these mysterious, alien beings, but he must keep them secret before the animal attacks stop and humans become their next target.