Native American detective Archie Stevens has just returned from stress leave brought on by the horrific ending of his last case. He is given a mysterious note addressed to him and, because of it, discovers the remains of a murder victim interred with rich art treasures in a sacred burial cave. A seemingly simple investigation quickly becomes complicated. When he is attacked, he feels he must remove the remains of the victim, a violation of proper procedure and a serious breech of cultural etiquette. As he investigates, new problems arise. Potential victims are murdered; shamanism and sinister ritual are used against him, testing his strength of character and almost killing him in the process. His investigation also leads him into a world where university politics and crime are mixed, and old friends in academia are not what they seem. His journey also takes him into his own past and what he discovers there shatters long held illusions about his father.