It wasn't your typical Flagstaff, Arizona, sight: a dead man mysteriously drowned in the middle of a drought, sprawled on his failing lawn.

New to the area, veterinarian Dale Kinsall is finding things a little too hot to handle. The body was the second strange murder in this quiet community. Soon vandalism and threatening phone calls have the beleaguered vet wondering if the desert actually was going to be good for his health. With his irrepressible beagle, Sully, by his side, Dale settles into the Foothills Veterinary Clinic, where crazy seems to be the norm. But there's also something sinister afoot, lurking among the wet noses and flying fur, a dangerous mind dropping victims like flies, and challenging Dale to a game where only the winner survives.