When an old friend invites Kyle Champion to attend a wake, he quickly realizes that it's not going to be a typical affair. P. J. Krueger, the family patriarch, died three months ago, and now his young widow, Sarah, wants to throw a "discreet wingding" in his honor over the long 4th of July weekend. P.J. also left behind a number of resentful children and their spouses, one of whom is convinced that P.J. did not die of natural causes. Add to this gathering an odd, reclusive neighbor with a violent past, and you've got the makings of some very volatile fireworks.