A missing girl. A haunted mountain. And a detective who can barely remember his own past.

When an eleven-year-old girl vanishes from her bedroom in the cold shadow of Kalanu Mountain, the entire county launches into a desperate search. But the only suspect—a damaged drifter with a history of harming children—claims he didn’t take her. He insists “the Raven Mocker” carried her off into the clouds.

Most call it madness.

Former investigator Tobias Atkins isn’t so sure.

Still recovering from the brutal attack that nearly killed him, Tobias is struggling with memory lapses, chronic pain, and the ghosts of a life he can’t fully remember. But when the kidnapper demands to speak only to him, Tobias is pulled back into a nightmare—one that weaves together Cherokee folklore, old mountain secrets, and the violent myths his grandfather once whispered by firelight.

With a winter storm closing in and time running out, Tobias teams up with Micki Trueblood, the tough, guarded daughter of his late best friend. Together, they hunt for the truth on a mountain that has buried many truths before.

Somewhere in the ravines, ruins, and ice-bitten trails, a child is waiting.

And something ancient may be waiting too.