Nick Greene flees the life he's known in exchange for peace in his quaint town's rugged forest park, but when a curious fisherman foils his tranquillity, Nick's missing persons case turns into a manhunt. Heading to the neighbouring city of Abercrombie, Nick finds refuge in a run-down motel known for taking in hopeless cases. He forms a friendship with his neighbour, Marina, but little does Nick know, a fatigued detective from his hometown is hunting him down, determined to redeem himself after his first and only missing persons case back in 1997 ended in disaster. Inspired by the Southern Hemisphere's flora and fauna, The Runaway Man is the first in a series that traverses a rural backwater, to beachland, to a vibrant city, and tells the stories of those who seek new lives, and those left behind in the old ones.