While fishing in a remote Canadian wilderness park, a former U.S. Army captain, Roger Cummings, witnesses the murder of a man and the abduction of a woman. The woman escapes her captors and asks for Roger's protection. Roger and Janeene flee by canoe but are pursued by a killer. In a gruesome battle the killer is critically wounded, but vanishes into the wilderness, while Roger and Janeene are rescued by U.S. Park Rangers. In Ely, Minnesota, Roger must explain the circumstances of the murder. An exhaustive search for facts proves inconclusive, and the killer is not located and remains a lethal threat. While there, Roger's relationship with Janeene becomes romantic. The killer escapes from the park and ambushes Janeene's family, taking her and Roger hostage. In a merciless conclusion, Roger and Janeene must face the most difficult decision of their lives.