Protesters in downtown Moab are demonstrating against pothunters who defile ancient-Indian graves in search of valuable artifacts. A manifesto threatening stronger action in retaliation for the pothunting is received by the local newspaper. Soon thereafter, a San Francisco artifact collector is found murdered in a remote part of the LaSal Mountains. In his backpack is a freshly-dug ancient-Indian pot. Subsequent acts of lawless defiance emphasize the serious nature of the protest. Deputy Sheriff Manny Rivera is assigned the job of tracking down the cold-blooded killer. His investigation takes him to a scientific research center, the home of a curandera, a charitable hospice, and a remote part of Utah called the Big Triangle. The series of crimes threatens to derail Moab's tourist economy, so Rivera is under pressure to solve the case quickly. But clues are sparse and Rivera's well-honed sense of logic is severely tested.