Maple Bend

Maple Bend is a small town on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, tucked between the dunes and a stand of old-growth maples that give the town its name. The lake is never far — you can smell it on the wind most mornings, cold and clean, carrying the faint sound of water against stone.

It is the kind of place that doesn't appear on many maps. The main street has a hardware store, a diner, a library that closes early on Fridays, and a bar that opens late on the same night. The same families have lived here for generations. New people arrive sometimes, usually by accident, and a few of them stay.

This is their story.