A mysterious death. An unresolved past. John Cowan is living a peaceful life on the Big River in Labrador with his part-Inuit wife and their two children when his brother Duncan, whom he hasn't seen in thirty years, pays him a surprise visit. Duncan wants John to return to his native Scotland to visit their ailing mother. Upon his return, John finds himself thrown back into the life he had left behind and, in particular, the unresolved death of Gerald Symons and a love affair that refuses to die down. During the visit, Jill, an investigative journalist and the girlfriend of John's sister Sylvia, pieces together the puzzle of Gerald's death and of the chaos that follows John's return. Combining mystery, adventure and love, The Big River explores the devastating effects of an unresolved past and the painful process of finding inner peace.