Nestled on the banks of the Willow River, just to the east of the Cherokee Mountains, the idyllic little city of Harper Falls was quintessential small town America. Nothing bad had ever happened there . . . until 1961, that is.

It was in the wee hours of May 8, when firefighter Jack Troy responded with his ladder company to a major fire in a residence hall at the College of Saint Brigid where he proceeded to smash his way into a smoke-filled third floor apartment in an attempt to save a young woman who appeared to be trapped. Jack knew this high-wire heroic act would put him in grave danger, but a life hung in the balance. This is what he had trained for. This was his job.

What Jack could not know, however, was that the danger he faced in the choking smoke and intense heat at the college that day would pale in comparison to the peril he would soon face as he was drawn into a gripping tale of love, romance, and murder, the likes of which had never been seen in the little city of Harper Falls.

Jack's brave rescue effort at the end of his aerial ladder that morning ultimately led him to a beautiful young woman who quickly became the love of his life. Together, they made a picture-perfect couple and began to carry on a close and touching romance. But it wasn't long before Jack started to suspect that not all was well, and that someone was trying to kill his new love. Was the fire really an accident or just the sinister beginning of a slowly escalating effort to eliminate her? Jack had his doubts.

The police were deeply involved, but sometimes distracted, going in the wrong direction, or pursuing a dead end. There were many suspects identified who had credible motive and adequate opportunity. Old boyfriends, former employers, an art professor, a jealous classmate, even an old girlfriend of Jack all made the list. Throughout it all, the murders and murder attempts, the frequent twists and turns, the many conflicting clues, and the multiple suspects, Jack was consistently worried that the police were getting things wrong, misreading things, and making incorrect judgments.

Working closely with his old friend, Detective Sergeant Charlie O'Hanlon, Jack was determined to stay vigilant and make his own effort to find and stop the person who was responsible for the attempts made on the life of his newfound love. In the end, when circumstances forced him to take matters into his own hands, this determination brought him and his lover face-to-face with the would-be murderer and almost certain death.