It's nearly Christmas in Willow Haven, North Carolina. Garland is hung, lights are twinkling, and carols are playing in shops and on street corners. But Max Talbot and Mike Carter aren't feeling the holiday spirit.
Max is struggling with grief, guilt, and the desire for revenge. He's good at pasting on a smile and pretending, but it's starting to choke him. That dark cloud has enveloped every corner of his lifeincluding his relationship with Carter.
Carter is just trying to keep his head above water. All he wants to do is help Max through his pain and get Joey back on steady ground, but everything he does seems to make things worse. He's sinking fast and doesn't know how much more he can take.
When Flynn O'Malley is murdered, Joey Carter finds himself at the top of the police's suspect list. Max and Carter enlist the help of Spade & Katz to prove Joey is innocent and the Appalachian Order are behind the murder.
But as they work to clear Joey's name, the unanswered question continues to loom in the air: what if he did it?