Beloved teacher Barbara Lewis is poisoned in her classroom; as doctors fight to save her life, Lt. Joe Kenda and his team delve into her personal affairs looking for clues, but the biggest revelation comes from the poison itself.

A cabin on the slopes of Pikes Peak catches fire, and a young sheriff's deputy is posted to guard the scene overnight. When he's found dead in his patrol car the next morning, his fellow lawmen must set aside their grief and hunt down his killer.