A picture-perfect New Hampshire town hides a history of scandal and intrigue -- a legacy Annie Barnes has never shaken since growing up in tiny Middle River. Five decades ago the area was rocked by a bombshell of a book, <I>Peyton Place,</i> and its author, Grace Metalious, who seemed to know everyone's most intimate secrets. Now a bestselling novelist herself, Annie has come home to find answers to the strange circumstances of her mother's recent death, which leads her to uncover a shocking truth about the local paper mill. The townspeople fear Annie intends to pen a <I>Peyton Place</i> of her very own, and no one wants her stirring up trouble. But one intriguing man is captivated by Annie's determined spirit -- and he wants to give the people of Middle River something to talk about....