Jamie Forest, a native New Yorker, has escaped the city for the quiet of a Minnesota Northwoods lake only to become the prime suspect in a murder. After the death of her father, a divorce and a traumatic experience with the New York police, Jamie settles into the old family cabin to eke out a living as a freelance editor.

As a member of a local environmental group, she clashes with the editor of the county newspaper over the development of a copper and nickel mining operation. Her peace is shattered when the editor is murdered, and her business card is found with the body.