Hartslog Valley, the Shadow of Death region, in Central Pennsylvania is haunted by a history of violence. The horrific Dean Massacre occurred there in 1788. Just south of Harstlog in Woodcock Valley, a band of fifty Indians and two white collaborators tortured and murdered ten of Captain Phillips Rangers in 1780. In 1754, Captain Jack returned home from hunting and found his wife and two children slain by Indians. Seeking revenge, he scoured the wilderness. The expert tracker and hunter left a bloody trail of scalps strung from the trees and Indian lodges of his enemy.

Now two hundred years later, the violence continues. Skeletons are found wired to a tree on Blood Mountain. Hostages are taken in a Mennonite school, resulting in the death of a boy. Two girls are kidnapped from Twin River High School. Hartslog Valley is again thrown into chaos.

When local authorities are ineffective, enter the vigilante. Following the tradition of Charles Bronson in Death Wish, Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, and Sylvester Stallone in Rambo, Vietnam War veteran and Twin River High School custodian Gene Brooks vows to protect the students.

Twin River sophomores, Conner Brooks and Matt Henry, are caught in the turmoil. Harassed by the chief of police, community thugs, and school bullies, the boys fight to survive in the modern wilderness of Hartslog Valley.