Everything about the ranch is a mystery. Rumours abound about the reclusive millionaire who owns it, the women who live with him, the private airstrip, the sudden disappearances. And, most persistent of all, that it is all funded by murder. Joe Pickett is tasked by the governor to find out the truth. But he soon discovers a lot more than he'd bargained for. There are two other men living up at the ranch. One is a stone-cold killer who takes an instant dislike to Joe. The other, Joe knows all too well. The first man doesn't frighten him. But the second is another story entirely.