Tiny Prosperity, North Carolina, used to be just a wide spot in the road, a centuries-old red-clay farming community. Now its bucolic charm has been discovered by residents of a nearby metropolis, and Police Chief Judd Wheeler's hometown is becoming a suburb. Tensions arise between long-time residents and the newcomers, accented by an influx of illegals. Then a teenaged Mexican girl is found murdered, and the pressure cooker threatens to explode.