The book's plot begins after a nature photographer, Cliff Benson, is confirmed to have been killed in the woods, with his head and torso missing. His wife, Evelyn, is found covered with blood and half-crazed on a logging road and taken to a hospital, where she only has vague recollections of the events that transpired. Sheriff Les Collins is quick to close to case and pin the blame on a rogue bear. However, Cliff's brother, Steve, quickly finds holes in the theory and refuses to drop the matter. Joining him in his investigation is Sheriff's Deputy Tracy Ellis, who has seen enough cases swept under the rug by authority to know that something is amiss.