These are Emily's last five days in Lightning Cove, a community on the northeast coast of Newfoundland where she struggles to free herself from an oppressive husband. Her life, she senses, is only half-occupied. All of which explains the three plane tickets hidden beneath a loose floorboard in the basement - one for herself and one each for her two youngsters.

All that's left is to make it through Friday. While Kent is at work, the three of them will catch the ferry to the main part of the island, take a taxi to the Gander Airport, and then board a Boeing 747 to the west coast. With a bit of luck, they'll be somewhere in the sky over Alberta before her husband even knows they're gone.

But a lot can happen in five days. With the town on the verge of a massive collapse because of layoffs and the workers facing a possible plant closure, the air is already tense. And Emily senses that her few close friends may be on the cusp of discovering her secret. Like so many things in her life, Emily's freedom has been a long time coming. Now she knows it won't come without a fight.