A hermit lives in voluntary exile from civilisation, attuned to the ebbs and flows of nature. In the sleepy town beneath his cabin, a young, ambitious policeman is being groomed to uphold the status quo after the retirement of his corrupt chief. When a shady local strongman's plans to legitimise his grip on the town are obstructed by the hermit's defence of the natural environment, the conflict between the two slowly simmers to a boil beneath the howl of the malfunctioning sirens of the town's Early Warning System.