Who is the main character? Denali (Denny) Darkcloud, the son of a Haitian American voodoo nurse, from New Orleans, and a Kootenai Marine, from Montana. What is his primary struggle or conflict? Before leaving for military service, Denny witnesses the brutal murder of his mother, and escapes the killer via dogsled. He leaves a detailed letter of the incident to the only authority he knows and boards the bus for bootcamp.

What are the stakes if he succeeds or fails? The killer wants him dead. If Denny succeeds, authorities arrest the killer. If he fails, the killer either murders him or authorities arrest him for his mother's death.

Who and/or what primarily opposes him in this struggle/conflict? Billy Jacobson, an arrogant college student kills Denny's mother. Because Denny witnessed the murder, Billy orchestrates the crime scene to implicate Denny as the prime suspect.

How does it resolve? Surprised to find his mother's killer still at large when he returns from Vietnam, Denny collaborates with authorities and provides key evidence needed for Billy's arrest.

Story Breakdown

Denny and his mother, Panacaea Clarke, live on a remote farm in northern Montana. Breaking her Momma's rule "serve women only," Panacaea provides a potent energy enhancement to a handsome college football player, Billy Jacobson.

Using the supplement once, with amazing results, Billy decides to double the dose to impress NFL scouts. Ignoring warnings and specific instructions, he botches his football performance in a fantastical fashion and destroys his potential football career. Blaming Panacaea, Billy attacks her and suffers an injury during the unsuccessful effort.

In a second attack, Billy murders Panacaea and contrives the scene to imply a young farmhand had killed her and escaped on his dogsled in a snowstorm. Denny witnessed the murder and leaves a detailed letter of the incident with his family lawyer as he departs for military service. The letter is misplaced.

Two years later, on a snowy December night, Billy kills another local woman. He makes an anonymous call to the papers, identifying the killer as the Musher Man, connecting the recent killing to the boy with dogs and the original murder. Establishing a clear serial pattern, Billy kills another young woman every winter. One victim is the girlfriend of a high school boy, Keith.

Back from military service, and reunited with his dogs, Denny initiates a hunting trip with his cousin. While relaxing in an old, abandoned cabin, his dogs alert him to the sound of a struggling plane, which crashes nearby. Denny rescues the sole survivor, Keith, but his small dogsled cannot transport Keith to a distant hospital. Denny must wait until his Cousin Paul arrives. While waiting, Keith determines Denny is the murderous Musher Man who killed his girlfriend. Paul arrives and transports Keith to the hospital, via a toboggan style sled, where Keith informs the police about Denny. In a twist, the sheriff arrests Paul for questioning.

Billy, now a police deputy, and thinking Paul is the boy who witnessed the original murder, arranges to murder the suspect. The sheriff recognizes inconsistencies in Billy's story. When Denny reaches town, he provides evidence of Billy's connection to his mother's murder and using recent DNA technology, authorities determine Billy is the real killer.

Denny arrives home to find several of the former Marines he helped save in Vietnam have made improvements to his old farm. He meets an attractive young nurse, working in his mother's medical office.