Paradise Alden's seemingly idyllic childhood in Nova Cambridge, Alabama, was shattered when her parents were murdered, a trauma that left deep scars and set her on a path of distrust in others and herself. Fifteen years later, struggling to reclaim her life after betrayal, abuse in the foster care system, and a career-threatening jaguar attack, she returns to her hometown. Taking a job as a veterinarian at The Sanctuary, a wildlife refuge, she hopes to heal and possibly recover memories of her parents' murder. But her arrival is quickly overshadowed by the discovery of a body on the refuge grounds, followed by a series of sinister incidents involving arson, shootings, and animal breakouts, which all implicate Blake Lawson-the man who once broke her heart and whom she can't bring herself to believe is guilty. Determined to uncover the truth, Paradise won't let another killer hide in the shadows of her hometown's Spanish moss and secrecy.