When a stranger tries to kill Matt Royal in one of his favorite watering holes on his Florida island Paradise, his attention focuses on more than sun, fishing and beer. In order to find the would-be killer, Matt and his buddies Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren begin an odyssey that takes them from the island beaches to Mexico and back to the mines, labor camps and farms of the interior of Florida, a place tourists never see. The mystery flows and tingles in the beautiful Florida autumn, the ugliness of the phosphate mines and labor camps juxtaposed against the pristine beaches and extravagant lifestyles of the island Matt calls home.