Joe Pickett is attempting to survive his mother-in-law's wedding to a wealthy local rancher when he receives some disturbing news: Will Jensen, a fellow Wyoming game warden and a good friend, has killed himself. And Joe's been picked to temporarily run Jensen's Teton district.

Jackson Hole is a far cry from Joe's hometown of Saddlestring -- it's the epicenter for many environmental extremists and an elite playground for the rich and powerful -- and Joe quickly finds himself over his head. Yet despite the pressures of his new job and his surprising and disturbing attraction for a married woman named Stella, he can't get his friend's suicide out of his mind. By all accounts, Will had changed in the last few months of his life, becoming violent and unpredictable.

Meanwhile, back at home, Marybeth is frightened by threatening phone calls and asks the outlaw falconer Nate Romanowski for assistance, not realizing she has opened the door to much more than help.

The closer Joe comes to the truth about Will's death, the more his own life begins to mirror Will's and spiral out of control -- and he realizes that if he's not careful, he may end up as Jackson's next victim.