While horseback riding in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Layla Turner discovers Abe Ramsey, a buckskin-clad hunter who lives in the Cataloochee Valley. Only after she falls in love with Abe does Layla learn that he is a fugitive from the FBI and a member of the Panther Patrol, an eco-terrorist band that opposes logging in nearby Pisgah National Forest. Only after Abe falls in love with Layla, does he learn that she is the daughter-in-law of the Governor of North Carolina. The Governor advocates for logging of North Carolina's national forests. His friend, a wealthy logging magnate and ruthless businessman, receives a lucrative contract to log in Pisgah National Forest. While Layla and Abe reveal the details of their lives, skirmishes between the Panther Patrol, the FBI, and Kenneth Leyman's henchmen escalate into a deadly conflict. The final confrontation brings an end to the logging of Pisgah National Forest and forever alters the course of Layla's life.