On his deathbed, an old detective and veteran from war, Jack Willington, in the city of Saint John, New Brunswick, is reflecting on his life and telling the tale of a curious case that fell on him and his mentor partner's lap years ago. Many of those people and places are long gone and have vanished almost like they never existed, but the lessons they left behind are still very much alive. Through his recollecting, the theme of traces left behind by wars, relationships, towns, cities, and detective work are explored in a philosophical, poetic, and introspective - sometimes stream-of-consciousness - writing style in this original noirish novel that takes place on the East Coast of Canada, with its mesmerizing landscapes and its fascinating and history-rich communities. This existential character-driven narrative encapsulates a time and a place and offers much more than the traditional crime story.