[1] The story is set in the fictitious town of Riversend in New South Wales during a period of intense drought, and revolves around a small-town priest who kills five of his parishioners before being shot himself, and a journalist's investigation into his motivations.

In the drought-stricken town of Riversend, the charismatic priest Byron Swift, who was well-liked by the community, suddenly turns violent, shooting five parishioners on a Sunday morning.

A year later, journalist Martin Scarsden, haunted by war memories, arrives in Riversend to write about the crime's impact on the town.

Martin delves into the community, uncovering differing opinions about the priest, and finds that the town has hidden complexities not evident at first glance.

Following its initial publication in 2018 by Allen and Unwin[1] the novel was reprinted as follows: The novel was also translated into German and Norwegian in 2019, Romanian in 2020, and Chinese, Italian and French in 2021.