When Sam Anderson meets Celeste D'Angelo in 1969, he charms her with his virile magnetism. Once the ring is on her finger, she discovers she married a "red-neck control freak" who is driven by "testosterone crazed" behavior. Sam uses emotional blackmail to control Celeste. Celeste wants to pursue an education and a career more than her marriage, but Sam is determined to continue the Anderson name and have a son.

After four years of marriage, Celeste feels trapped and betrayed. She decides it's time to hit the road; she packs a bag and writes a note to Sam saying that she's leaving. Before she can escape; however, Sam returns home unexpectedly--and Celeste disappears.

When Celeste "turns up missing," in Sam's words, Detective Doyle Holiday is wary from the beginning. Sam no longer controls Celeste nor himself. Is he a victim of circumstantial evidence or a mastermind of deception? Something just doesn't sit right with Holiday. Holiday is torn between Sam's story and his suspicions as he doggedly pursues a hunch in this Texas thriller.