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An adventurous vacationing couple wanders into an apparently empty unmapped section of backwoods South Carolina and gets lost when their GPS unexpectedly fails. They happen upon an enigmatic old black horse-cart driver named Owen who gives them not only directions to the highway, but also a cryptic warning to stay away from Longpoke Road.

After making it back to civilization, Zach and Chloe Rafferty run into a succession of strange characters who leave them feeling uneasy. They spot the Council Lake Family Restaurant and decide it's a good place to relax and talk about their unsettling road trip. Over breakfast, they strike up an easy conversation with Chester Ward and his quirky daughter, Annie, who own not only the diner, but also the whole rural town. Chester is thrilled when Zach admires his restored '57 Chevy parked out front, so he invites them back to their estate to show off his huge private automobile collection.

Zach is an investigative reporter with a disarming manner that gets people to open up. Before long, a friendship forms and Chester reveals his late wife was murdered by the KKK for attempting to end centuries of local racism at her private liberal arts school. More probing leads to troubling links between the mysterious area they just drove through and the long-lost family of Chester's best friend. It all seems tied to a dangerous meth-dealing Klan leader who runs a seedy barbecue joint in the next town. Chloe suddenly fears their recent trespassing may have put Owen's life at risk. As more disturbing pieces fall into place, Zach suspects the old man is not the only one in danger and that the situation is far worse than first imagined. Further investigation reveals that Longpoke Road hides a vast criminal enterprise, which likely includes slavery. But even that pales in comparison to the reality they will confront.

They all decide some large-scale immediate action is required to prevent what they are convinced is about to happen. To handle such a big operation, they consider contacting the FBI, but soon realize they don't have enough evidence for a warrant. That's when Zach and Chloe learn eccentric billionaires play by different rules. Freed from cumbersome legal restrictions, the four hatch a clandestine rescue scheme using Chester's own sheriff's department augmented by a mercenary black ops team. Every time the path seems blocked, they all step easily across personal moral boundaries in pursuit of a greater good. The ensuing all-out war with murderous hillbillies uncovers breathtaking depravity no one thought possible in modern America.

When the dust settles, Zach, Chloe, Chester, and Annie find their lives forever changed and entangled in ways that leave them all questioning what happened and who they really are.