Once the most polluted waterway in Western North Carolina, the toxic Pigeon River now runs pure, thanks to environmental activism. But when a water analyst is found murdered in the river, and a local festival is rocked by death threats, fire, and beatings, it is clear that someone wants to disrupt the progress of the peaceful town and its future environmental efforts.

Detective Sam Blackman, an Iraqi war vet, and his partner and love interest, Nakalya Robertson, investigate these disturbing events, but the case is anything but cut and dry. As events spiral out of control, a dark history rears its ugly head, threatening Asheville's future.