The bushwhack killing of a deputy sheriff in Lincoln County and the brutal murder of the deputy's wife in Santa Fe County bring Police Chief Kevin Kerney and his Mescalero Apache son, Sergeant Clayton Istee, back together. The double homicide investigation is soon linked to a major drug trafficking scheme and the cold-blooded slaughter of two women in Albuquerque.

Due to retire at the end of the month, Kerney calls upon Clayton to find the slain officer's son, discover what triggered the killings, and give him the ammunition he needs to bring a murderer to justice.