When Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch's surrogate father, Charley Stevens, vanishes without explanation, he suspects it relates to a cold case from Charley's past that the Maine Warden Service would rather forget. Following the trail to the Canadian border, Mike finds connections to a murderous poaching ring, and joins forces with Charley's daughter, a woman he once thought was gone forever. As Mike is forced to question his faith in the man he sees as a father, his 11th outing (following Almost Midnight) brings him up against powerful people—one of whom may be a killer—who will do anything to keep their secrets.