"Old Ms. Lizzie said that Mr. Hampton loved his wife more than the Good God Almighty himself. God wanted Mr. Hampton’s love for his own, that’s why God killed her the first time. When Mr. Hampton still loved his wife too much he killed her again."Twelve year old Janice Gray lives in the small, dying town of River Valley. She wonders why everyone she knows pretends Mrs. Hampton is alive when, in fact, she has been dead for years. As time goes on and she gets older, she finds even more mysterious questions about the place she lives and everyone around her.