Jimmy Russo is a successful businessman and an obsessive lister of the world's birds--until his murder while on a safari in Sierra Leone, Africa. Few of his fellow travelers mourn his death, as his constant negativity, foul mouth, and abuse of his wife, Jane, have long since alienated them.

One of them, Jackson Burnbridge, has known the couple since meeting them on a birding tour in Argentina while recovering from a rough divorce after twenty years of marriage. What's more, he and Jane Russo have a past--an affair in Argentina that Jane wants to renew in Africa, despite his resistance. Jack is well aware that this, along with Jimmy's jealousy of him, makes him a prime suspect, and so he carefully reviews the trip, hoping to suss out the identity of the killer. Meanwhile, he finds himself drawn to another member of the group, Iris Fogelman, and wonders if they can find happiness together, in spite of Jane's continued pursuit of him.

In this novel, when an obnoxious traveler is killed while on safari, a man who had an affair with the victim's wife deals with the aftermath of the murder and searches for a love of his own.