North Carolina. The cove is a dark place where spirits wander, and where Laurel Shelton, believed to be a witch, lives with her brother Hank, newly returned from the trenches of France. A stranger appears, carrying nothing but a beautiful silver flute and a note explaining that his name is Walter, he is mute, and bound for New York. Walter slips easily into life in the cove and into Laurel's heart, but he harbours a secret that could destroy everything.