Mystery writer Stella Stratton, in Santa Fe, New Mexico for a conference, is being stalked by a man who has followed her from Chicago. When P.I. Vincent Malone comes to her aid, he discovers that Stratton's first book is not a work of fiction at all, but an account of the murder of the stalker's father in the 1980s. Archeology, Indian artifacts, and crimes from the past weave into a mysterious plot involving political corruption, a wayward priest, millions in stolen relics, forgotten curses, and old misdeeds. Who's good and who's bad is all mixed up as Malone seeks answers both to the murder in the 80s and the confusing events happening now.