People are dying for a new golf resort in the small California town of Los Robles. A young woman is struck by a vehicle and killed in the street. A building burns to the ground. Unexplained leaks are occurring in oil pipelines.

Keith Klein, a developer with more money than morals, is determined to build a golf course, restaurants, luxury condos and a five-star resort. The problem is, the land he needs isn't for sale. But he is willing to do anything to turn his dream into a reality.

When sabotage and arson don't work, he turns to other, more lethal methods. Investigative reporter turned newspaper owner Tommy Upton and his friend Sheriff Dave Miller start asking questions when people start dying and unusual problems begin occurring at properties around the valley.

Upton and Miller work to untangle the web of crimes and find the common thread that will explain them. The start of a romance between Upton and Medical Examiner Mary Ellen Driscoll adds an extra spark of excitement to an already explosive investigation.

Angry protesters, leaking oil pipelines, a massive fire and a growing number of deaths send Upton and Miller on a mission to take down the cleverest killer they've ever faced.