A reclusive former naval detective investigates a fisherman's murder near a mysterious coastal inn, uncovering a web of smuggling, betrayal, and secrets tied to the region’s shipbuilding legacy and its haunting maritime past.

SYNOPSIS:

The Blackwater Inn

In the quiet, fog-shrouded town of Appledore, a former naval detective, now seeking solitude, is drawn back to his childhood home after a fisherman is found dead near the old Blackwater Inn. The town, once a thriving hub of shipbuilders, is now crumbling under the weight of forgotten histories and untold secrets.

The detective’s investigation soon leads him to the doors of the town's oldest families—those who have lived there for generations and whose ancestors were the master shipwrights of the 16th and 17th centuries. These families hold long-forgotten knowledge of the secrets embedded in the craftsmanship of the ships that once sailed the high seas, many of which were built right along the coast.

As the detective delves deeper into the town's maritime history, he uncovers clues tied to the lost art of shipbuilding. Some families are reluctant to share their knowledge, fearing the uncovering of dark truths about the town's role in ancient smuggling rings and illegal trade routes. But the detective soon realizes that the key to solving the murder lies within these forgotten secrets—hidden in the intricate designs of the ships, in long-lost shipwrecks, and in the shipwrights' coded symbols embedded in the craftsmanship of their work.

The investigation forces him to confront old family rivalries, uncover buried secrets, and unravel the haunting legacy of the shipbuilding era. As the detective pieces together clues, he begins to understand that the waters off the coast hold not only the town's physical history but its spiritual scars—haunted by the sins of the past and the web of deceit that ties everyone together.