The mysterious death of Merlyn Temple, a traumatized young girl, sets off a series of events that leave some towns-people questioning the motives of their charming Sheriff, the last person to see her alive.
















Fleeing, deep into the woods, from Sheriff Buck, young Caleb takes refuge in an eerie, abandoned hunting lodge and is terrified when he discovers a dying man, who has been tortured and held prisoner there. Gail, Caleb's cousin goes along on the search, determined to keep Caleb safe from Lucas.
















Sheriff Buck, calls in a favor from a local judge, who is overseeing Caleb's custody hearing, hoping to ensure his favored status, but he doesn't just stop there.
















Carter Brown panics when Lucas wants his teenage daughter Poppy to work for him. as payback for an old favor. When he refuses, his life quickly begins to unravel.
















Gail may have pushed Lucas too far when she accuses him of foul play in the death of his former girlfriend, and her childhood friend. She finds out Lucas was with Holly on the night her car mysteriously drove off a bridge.
















Selena reaches out to Caleb and tries to help him with his schoolwork. She begins to spend extra time with him which bothers Lucas. She also tries to reconcile with her father. Meanwhile Merlyn reaches out to a local boy who is physically handicapped and tries to ease his pain and loneliness.















When Jack Drey, a South Carolina State Police Lieutenant throws his weight around in the investigation of the disappearance of his adulterous brother-in-law, Hack Weller, Lucas becomes wary. Drey suspects that Weller's obsession with Selena may have driven a jealous Buck to kill him.















              Lucas gets revenge in his own chilling fashion, on four men who come to Trinity and set out on a crime wave.















Dr. Matt struggles with his alcoholism and the death of his family. Lucas tries to push him over the edge by offering him a drink and forcing the bizarre memories of his wife and daughter to return.
















Artie, Ben Healy's brother, holds up a local store in Trinity for a cheap watch. Ben and Lucas respond to the robbery and Ben accidentally shoots Artie. Artie, injured but still conscious, takes Lucas, Gail, Caleb and Matt hostage at the hospital. And its up to Ben to defuse the explosive situation.















Merlyn discovers she can borrow an unborn child's soul and reappears as Halle. Both Lucas and Caleb realize what has happened, and while Lucas tries to keep Merlyn in his world, Caleb knows she must return the soul to the baby before it's too late.
















Through dreams and visions, Lucas allows Gail to learn bit by bit what happened to her parents. She  learns that her father abused both her mother and herself, and that her mother was having an affair with Gage Temple, Caleb's foster-father, with tragic consequences.