A tale of violent men and violent passions, of missing friends, of loss and love and discovery. The accidental death of Rhiann Fahey's second husband leaves her paralyzed by grief and has her son Jimmy cutting school and drinking. The widow's problems are compounded by unwanted advances from her dead husband's friend. She does her best to cope, returning to work, dealing patiently with Jimmy's misbehavior, telling Rory Sinter she isn't interested. Then a mysterious stranger moves next door. John Devlin offers Rhiann beer and sympathy. He offers Jimmy work. When Sinter tries to discredit John, then beat him to death, Rhiann comes to John's rescue. But she discovers her perfect neighbor isn't what he'd seemed-which leads her to investigate, and to see John in a different light altogether. A beautifully written story with characters who come to life from the first page, M.I.A. shows one more side of Michael Allen Dymmoch's powerful storytelling ability.