Middle-aged Joe Pavene retires early from his fast-paced corporate life to focus on writing in the secluded, technologically devoid village of Randall, Missouri. A place with no phones, internet, cable, or social media. One hundred miles away from the nearest town, Joe's friends say he's running away from the tech world, dubbing him "Arcane Joe".
When a series of deaths awaken the sleepy village, Joe is reluctantly stirred from his newly settled life. Fear spreads as they are weeks away from a vote on a technology upgrade bill. All eyes look to the revered big-city crime writer to solve this mystery before death strikes another member of the low-tech society.