It's autumn in Alaska: hunting season. Kate Shugak is acting guide to ten big game hunters carrying an arsenal of expensive weaponry. Unfortunately, not one of them seems to know one end of a shotgun from the other, and all are a danger to themselves and anyone else in range.

So when one of the men is killed, his death is dismissed as a tragic accidental shooting. But when the weather worsens and Kate finds herself stranded in the wilderness with the hunting party, she begins to have her doubts about the group. And when she discovers another body in gruesome circumstances, Kate realizes that someone is after more than just four-legged trophies...