In the old days there were wolves in Hemlock County, Pennsylvania. Then came trapping, timber, oil, and gas, and everything changed. The earth was raped and left to die, and the scars would always remain - on the dark hills, and in the hearts of those who live there. Now these almost deserted hills of western Pennsylvania are being haunted by new atrocities - what beast or man is leaving frozen, mangled bodies in the woods? Three unlikely heroes will be embroiled in the mystery surrounding these grisly incidents: "Racks" Halvorsen, retired oil-field worker and ex-hunter; Becky Benning, a twelve-year-old who knows only she can save her dying brother - with magic; and Leah Friedman, a New York doctor who suspects the truth behind the killings. What terrible secret lies hidden in these woods, that someone is willing to kill to preserve it?