When an investigative reporter for an Atlanta tabloid newspaper is found shot to death along an isolated stretch of country road near Big Hope, Alabama, Cage Royce, Luke Carey and Wesley Harland begin a desperate race to prove Robby Cain--the son of Luke's close friend--innocent of the murder. With the reluctant help of a small-time newspaper editor--a man living in fear of a powerful public figure and the legacy of his Southern family--Cage uncovers an early lead in the killing, only to be confronted by an unexpected temptation, and the mental instability of the dead man's comely fiancee. As the web of bigotry, injustice and deceit that have held hostage the small town of Big Hope since the end of the Civil War begins to unravel, Wes Harland finds himself cast as a hunted fugitive, and the chances of Cage and Luke freeing Robby Cain and bringing Wes home alive, all but vanish.