A bestselling journalist, Guy Newberry is known for his articles on the
plight of troubled communities. Shortly after his arrival in the small
seaside community of Signal Port, California, a town that has never
recovered from the unsolved murder of two young families 13 years ago,
another nightmare begins. An unidentified woman's body washes up at
nearby Point Deception, immediately stirring up old feelings of fear and
suspicion. Relentless in pursuing his story, and haunted by a tragedy in
his own past, Newberry does not let up, instilling fear in the town's
sheriff, Rhoda Swift, who fears his prying will destroy her town. But as
more women die and public panic sets in, Newberry and Swift form an
uneasy alliance and unite in a confrontation with a killer whose motives
are not as random as they seem.