Tidal Shores, a small seaside town in South Carolina, has seen its fortunes nose-dive. But not for much longer! The 'Big Ten' on the town council have come up with a range of ingenious ideas to get tourists flocking back, from buried pirate treasure to beauty pageants, but it's handsome taxidermist Gunner Jones' plan to dupe the public into believing that his creation 'Miss Lucy' - combining the top half of an albino ape with a large goliath tigerfish - is a real mermaid that wins the day.

As Gunner's bizarre creature takes center stage, inquisitive reporter Zoe Porter isn't fooled by its supposed credibility, but with mermaid mania sweeping the country, will anyone believe her exposé? And when events take a sinister turn, Zoe is suddenly drawn into a much darker story . . .