A cold winter in the Alaskan bush becomes even colder when a forest ranger loses his job in a politically motivated firing. Then a conservationist is murdered, and the tensions that have been swirling around the question of whether to drill for oil on the preserve erupt into local warfare. Aleutian PI Kate Shugak campaigns to save the fired ranger and, with the help of Alaska State Trooper Jim Chopin, attempts to solve the murder before more violence erupts.