The Northern Kingdom plot
Three families living in a rural Vermont community are all bereaved. Sergeant Claire Rodman has just returned from the Iraq War with a permanent hand injury and while wallowing in a pool of self-pity, his sister cares for their dying mother. At the time, Claire had driven a bitter wedge between the two siblings. Meanwhile, housekeeper Kathy McClellan struggles to maintain her relationship between her two growing children, Carissa and Glen. But if Glen's paranoid diatribes about the war sound like nonsense to many, the truth is that his stories hold an explosive secret. At a neighboring farm, Nan and her partner Sandra see their daily routine disrupted by the sudden appearance of Enid, Sandra's daughter, who has not been herself since she recently met 'The Light'. And as the snow continues to fall quietly, each family is confronted with their problems and they discover that nature eases much of their suffering...