In the latter part of the nineteenth century, a rustic village reminiscent of the Old West transitions to a thriving town. Discovery of a massive coal field in the area led to the development of a well-designed coal mining camp. The industry had both positive and negative effects: financial impact on the town and surrounding area and unintended consequences for the environment and people.

The population of the camp is a mixture of ethnic groups all seeking opportunity in a new country. A number of interesting characters reside in the camp. Camp families encounter a number of trials and tribulations during WWII. Not the least was fear for the safety and survival of sons serving in the military.

Salvatore Caminata, a formerly revered detective in Italy, conducted a careless investigation in his last case that led to a hasty conviction of an innocent person who later was brutally murdered while imprisoned. Caminata chooses to escape disgrace by immigrating to the United States. He finds employment in the county sheriff department that serves the coal camp.

The mysterious murders of members of a Mexican-American family brings finger-pointing to a number of camp residents, but one person in particular stands out as the likely murderer. As the investigation of the murders twists and turns, Salvatore never forgets the lesson he learned in Italy.