Joseph Vaughan's life has been dogged by tragedy. Growing up in the 1950s, he was at the center of a series of killings of young girls in his small rural community. These girls were taken, assaulted, and left horribly mutilated. Barely a teenager himself, Joseph becomes determined to try to protect his community and classmates from the predations of the killer.

Despite banding together with his friends as 'The Guardians', he was powerless to prevent more murders—and no one was ever caught. Only after a full ten years did the nightmare end when one of his neighbors is found hanging from a rope, with articles from the dead girls around him. Thankfully, the killings finally ceased.

But the past won't stay buried—for it seems that the real murderer still lives and is killing again. And the secret of his identity lies in Joseph's own history...