Detective Jud Jeffreys has become a political embarrassment. He is demoted back to uniform and sent to a rough mining town where he's assigned to investigate sheep thefts. It's a difficult transition for a city boy. The sergeant is a drunk, his colleagues resent him, he makes a bad enemy within minutes of arriving, and violence and disaster swirl around the mine. Jud must find friends and allies fast, or he won't survive. When tragedy strikes, he must draw on his investigative skills and courage to solve a murder.