Arthur Jenkins, recently widowed and adrift in grief and the morass of middle age, retreats to a cabin in his native state of Michigan, hoping for a fresh start. That's when his oldest friend, Eddie Fletcher, also in retreat after being relieved of duty by the Army while serving in Iraq, calls him on the pretense of a few days of fly fishing up north.

But Eddie had more on his mind than fishing. Two college students from Central Michigan University went missing more than 20 years ago while on a trip to the Au Sable River. Not a trace was ever found. What they did find were altars, stone circles and evidence of something called Werewolf Parties. Eddie is convinced that the authorities bungled the investigation by pinning it on a notorious serial killer called Big Foot, and he wants Art to help him solve the cold case. Nothing like someone else's personal tragedy to help kill the time.

And so it begins. With the help of Eddie's Army buddy, licensed private investigator Zachariah Phoenix, the three wade into the often-hostile backwaters of Michigan's northwoods, looking for old bones, answers and a new lease on life.