The beautiful woods of Northern Michigan become the setting for violence and deadly ambition... Cassandra Beaumont wants nothing more than to put her husband's murder behind her. But instead of being able to quietly retire from public life, she finds herself immersed in an ugly cycle of lies and blackmail. Forced to face the man she betrayed years ago, she struggles with a treacherous past mistake and a not-quite forgotten passion... Michael Beaumont isn't sure if it is hate, or something else altogether that he feels for his lovely sister-in-law. When a woman is killed and Cassandra is implicated, he fears that an explosion of scandal and shattered illusions will destroy his entire family... Police Officer Danny Haase's fishing vacation turns into a nightmare of murder and complicated politics as he helps the local police discreetly track down a cold-blooded killer with very high connections...