"Picturesque" is the word for rustic Vermont, with its green mountains, maple syrup, and famous fall foliage.

Yet for Joe Gunther, head of the state's Bureau of Investigation, urban Vermont presents a vastly different image. Along dark streets and in run-down motels, an appetite for the less savory offerings of the cities to the south is rapidly escalating. This is brutally brought to Joe's attention when a young woman is shot during an attempted robbery in his hometown of Battleboro. Sadly, she is a heroin addict who is desperate to feed her habit. Worse, Joe discovers she is also his girlfriend's niece.

When a known dealer is found hanging from a train trestle and the relative of a political bigwig dies of a suspicious overdose, Gunther realizes that what was once a trickle of drugs from a neighboring state is threatening to become a flood. Scrambling to meet this menace, Gunther and his team must test their resourcefulness to the limit. Female detective Sammie Martens will go undercover as an operative for a local pusher - in a world where young women are routinely used as fodder. Detective Lester Spinney will confront his own demons when he realizes that the scourge of drugs may have hit him close to home. And Gunther's girlfriend, Gail Zigman, driven to discover what doomed her niece, will snoop for clues in dangerous quarters where even Gunther cannot protect her.

For Joe Gunther, the choices are agonizing. Should he continue a war effort that can save countless potential victims of a deadly drug...while risking the lives of those he loves most?