When 14 year old genius Luke Ellis is kidnapped, he awakens at The Institute, a facility full of children who all got there the same way he did, and who are all possessed of unusual abilities. In a nearby town, haunted former police officer Tim Jamieson has come looking to start a new life, but the peace and quiet won’t last, as his story and Luke’s are destined to collide.

Miriam Gordon lives in a fog of grief while working in a downtown public library branch. When a burgeoning love affair coincides with her receiving a series of oddly threatening letters, Miriam's sheltered existence is cracked open.

Everyday in Halifax, a ceremonial blast fires from a canon. The Noon Gun sends a rattle through the old wooden homes of the North End. Within one of these homes, an elderly woman dotes over her graffiti writer grandson. An interracial couple walk tensely down a side street. A recovering alcoholic cop lectures his street-wizened young partner as they walk the beat. On one day in particular, the Noon Gun blast ties these groups into a sequence of events. As these events unfold, each group’s perspective grows, obscuring reality and ultimately effecting each other’s lives.

After a gay couple is bashed in 1963, Ryan's parents commit him to a mental hospital for aversion therapy to straighten him out. Once inside, Ryan realizes the hospital is infested with strange, faceless creatures that stalk the patients.