Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe “Deke” Deacon is sent to Los Angeles for what should have been a quick, evidence-gathering assignment. Instead, he becomes embroiled in the search for a killer who is terrorising the city. Leading the hunt, L.A. Sheriff Department Sergeant Jim Baxter, impressed with Dekeʼs cop instincts, unofficially engages his help. But, as they track the killer, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Dekeʼs past—uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.