In an instant they were gone. Four years apart, two boys vanish without a trace from an idyllic Maine community. For Sheriff Virgil Milche, the disappearances are a black mark on a fine career. For the mother of one victim, the mystery is a dark journey through grief, hope, and madness. Audrey Bock is certain her son is still alive. In the silence, she can hear him crying out to her. Now she suspects that somewhere in her own past lies the key to her son's disappearance. To find him, Audrey must confront the tortuous maze of her memory. To unravel the case, Virgil must uncover the bizarre darkness lurking within his well-lit world. But as both move closer to the truth, they will face the most forbidding barrier of all: someone out there knows exactly what happened to two little boys-and who must die next.