There's an assassin on the prowl and he is hiding in the small southern town of Seaboard, North Carolina. The entire law enforcement community is suddenly on alert. Jeff Sands and Buddy Turner, U. S. Marshals working out of the eastern district of North Carolina, are dispatched to locate and apprehend the fugitive. Jeff is particularly suited for this assignment as he grew up in Seaboard and knows all the best hiding places. When the Marshals arrive in Seaboard, Jeff learns that Sophie Singletary, a former lover, is divorced and living in Seaboard. They resume their affair. Suddenly Sophie becomes involved in the investigation and finds her life in danger. Then life in quiet Seaboard is thrown into turmoil. Bodies begin to turn up, and U.S. Marshals Jeff Sands and Buddy Turner find themselves in the middle of a deadly game masterminded by an international criminal.