After an arson fire killed his wife and stepdaughter and presumably him, former LAPD homicide detective Ross David Carothers changed his identity to David Samuel Ross. Now Ross is helping his friend Ray Hazlett. Ray's ex-wife Desiree Bennett has disappeared, and his nine-year-old son Austin is frantic. Ross has agreed to go to Reno, Nevada, to care for Austin until Ray can get there. But the favor turns into a puzzle Ross cannot resist. He feels compelled to find Desiree and explain the things he has seen in the desert while in search of her.