Behind the pristine hedges of Crestwood Hills lies a chilling secret. This idyllic community, with its emerald lawns and picture-perfect homes, isn’t governed by elected officials, but by the iron fist of the Homeowners Association.  Their symbol of power? The Crimson Hedge, a winding wall of blood-red roses, a beautiful yet menacing warning to those who dare to stray from the HOA’s meticulously crafted vision of perfection.
Ellen Kepler, seeking refuge from a troubled past, arrives in Crestwood with her family, seduced by the promise of order and safety. But the unsettling harmony is shattered by the death of a rebellious artist, a single crimson rose left on her freshly turned grave.  Ellen, recognizing the chilling signs of enforced conformity, knows this was no accident.
Samuel Hansen, the HOA president, rules Crestwood with a disarming smile and an iron will. He’s not just enforcing rules; he’s weaving a web of fear, where even the smallest infraction can have devastating consequences.  Children are rewarded for reporting their parents, neighbors spy on one another, and dissent is met with swift and brutal “corrective measures.”
As Ellen digs deeper, she uncovers a pattern of disappearances, each preceded by a seemingly trivial HOA violation.  Her own family becomes entangled in the HOA’s web, her children seduced by Hansen’s insidious charm.  Her husband, initially dismissive of her fears, witnesses a chilling late-night HOA procession, masked figures tending the Crimson Hedge under the flickering gaslight, and finally sees the terrifying truth.
Ellen discovers Hansen’s ultimate goal: a “purification” ritual at the heart of the Crimson Hedge, a ceremony requiring a sacrifice.  She races to expose the HOA’s secrets and save her family, but escape is a treacherous path. They are trapped, surrounded by watchful eyes, their children caught in the HOA’s insidious embrace.
Under the summer solstice sun, the Crimson Hedge pulses with an unnatural vibrancy.  A desperate rebellion ignites, the carefully constructed order of Crestwood Hills crumbling into chaos.  But freedom comes at a cost.  Can Ellen and her family escape the HOA’s grasp, or will they become another chilling secret buried beneath the crimson roses?