When Arthur Hayman, writer of The Hayseed Chronicles, dies, a bizarre chain of events conspires to make his series of children's books world famous. But buried deep inside the books lie secrets that begin to shake the fragile Hayman family - Arthur's son, Luke, reluctantly immortalized as the young hero of the series; his daughter, Rachel, for whom the books are a hole through which her life has fallen; and his enigmatic wife, Martha, who knows that secrets are best kept well-hidden.
For the rest of us, The Hayseed Chronicles are a fascinating mystery. And at their heart is the twisted, unknowable Mr Toppit, who will let neither Luke nor Rachel nor Martha out of his grasp...