A picture-perfect New Hampshire city hides a history of scandal and intrigue — a legacy Annie Barnes hasn’t shaken since growing up in tiny Middle River. Five decades ago the region was rocked with a bombshell of a publication, Peyton Place, and its own author, Sophistication Metalious, who seemed to know everyone’s most romantic secrets. Right now a bestselling novelist herself, Annie offers come home to find answers to the strange situations of her mother’s latest death, which leads her to discover a shocking truth about the local paper mill. The townspeople fear Annie intends to pencil a Peyton Place of her individual, and no one desires her stirring up trouble. But one interesting man is usually captivated by Annie’s driven heart — and he wants to give the people of Middle River something to speak about….