From the picturesque land of western Washington, a man is haunted by a latent image he cannot form into clear understanding. He runs from this latency to this land of the tall trees and towering mountains. Here he encounters criminal minds that seemingly drove him to divorce and his only child fleeing his hate-filled marriage.
With looming job problems, he finds himself faced with a shooting that is ultimately judged as justifiable homicide. And the damnable haunting remains. Under job and personal pressure, anger builds, and his alcohol consumption begins to cloud his sharp mind. When all seems hopeless, he takes a phone call from a friend seeking his help. The friend is frantic: the death of his son in a rural Nebraska stream has the feel it is not an accident.
CJ Hand takes the opportunity to return to the Nebraska prairie where he once thrived. He can help a friend and build a new life. He envisions a calm and unobtrusive investigation where he can relax and enjoy the solitude of rural life. Helping his close friend can bring peace to that small family, now lacking a son who died in a quiet river valley.
What CJ finds are deceit and political greed. The deadly circles begin to unravel under his probing. The sinister plot of influential people for their own personal gain unfolds and reveals more deaths and far-reaching plans.
He finally brings focus to why he long ago fled Nebraska for the West Coast.
