As a virus devastates the Scottish countryside, killing cattle and destroying lives, Detective Marjory Fleming finds herself at the heart of a troubled, trapped commuity in Galloway. Infected animals are burnt, and farmland is used as burial ground, then human remains are dug up near the small marked town of Kirkluce. In New York City, Laura resolves to discover the truth behind her older sister's disappearnce fifteen years ago, she returns to Galloway, where suspicion, fear and menace thrive.