The only thing smaller than the prairie town of Sylvan Lake, are the minds of the people who live there, except for seventeen year old artist, Sam Simchuk. When she tries to solve the mystery behind a teen ghost she befriends, Sam’s forced to choose between chasing her dreams, defending her friend, or saving her mother’s life.

SYNOPSIS:

The only thing smaller than the prairie town of Sylvan Lake, are the minds of the people who live there. Except for seventeen year old artist, Sam Simchuk. She’s constantly tormented for her androgyny and for her fascination with the violence of death and nature. All she wants is to win a scholarship to a big city art school. So against her mother’s wishes, Sam hangs out an abandoned silo each day to practice her photography and drawing. One morning while drawing, Sam uncovers an old leather choker buried beneath the silo wall. Drawn to its bead and shell, she feels compelled to put it on. Little does she know that when she ties it around her neck, she sets off a power deep within Sylvan’s infamous bottomless lake. The next day at the silo, Sam encounters a phantom of a seventeen year old girl. The phantom is dressed straight out of the summer of 1978. Sam befriends the ghost and vows to solve the truth behind her horrific demise and why she’s been trapped for over forty years. Sam discovers the identity of the phantom, Coralee White, from her mother’s yearbook from the class of 1978. Sam investigates town archives and researches library and school records to learn more but ultimately finds every trace of Coralee has disappeared. Sam’s investigation begins to draw attention to certain towns people. One night on her nightly swim, a speed boat runs her over nearly killing her. But just in time Coralee rescues her. At the same time, one by one, the men of Sylvan Lake begin to die under bizarre circumstances. Committed to their friendship, Sam watches Coralee’s power grow. One day in science class, Coralee’s mischief turns violent when she possesses an empty termite nest and explodes giant termites everywhere that swarm and attack, putting a student in the hospital. Sam’s blamed for the accident and is suspended from school, loses her job, and possibly her scholarship to art school. Even worse, it destroys the fragile relationship with her mother. Heartbroken from her mother’s disappointment, Sam ends her relationship with Coralee. She dedicates the rest of the school year to becoming the nice, normal teen her mom and the town expect. After much hard work, Sam and her mother grow closer than ever before. But then Sam discovers that her mother is secretly dating the teacher Sam’s been in love with since freshman year. Realizing she’s been living a lie, Sam packs her things for good. Just as she’s about to leave, Coralee comes after her mother, forcing Sam to choose between chasing her dreams, defending her friend, or saving her mother’s life.