Jed Smith leaves California, his job as an L.A.P.D. Homicide Detective, and his ex-wife to become a Deputy Sheriff in a small East Texas town. At first Lamar seems the ideal place to hide from the memory of his son=s murder, then the first child is found dead in a field just outside of town. Jed finds himself in the midst of a series of child murders that are very different from anything he's ever encountered. Along the way, Jed meets some unique East Texas characters like the ladies of the OWC Realty who try to sell him more than a house; Mike Burnham, one the deputies who becomes Jed=s closest friend; J.J. Colton, a former Houston PD officer who feels that Jed is butting into his territory; Ray Nagel, a young deputy who wants desperately to be a big city cop; Vickie McFadden, a twenty-four year old whose husband insists she dress and act like a fifteen year old; Sheriff Tom Keller, who would give his right arm to be accepted into the AGood Ol= Boy@ crowd; Norma Summers, a Dallas TV anchorwoman with a grudge against Keller; Brian Gayley, the town's most prominent undertaker; Reverend Donaldson and his bitterest enemy Father Melendez. Jed learns to ride a horse, goes fishing, and learns that politics is politics no matter where you live but police work is a bit different in East Texas.