When a breathless hiker arrives at the Adirondacks Interior Outpost and informs Stacy, the first woman to be named crew chief in the Adirondacks, that someone has fallen from the cliffs above Avalanche Lake, Wayne, a newly recruited forester from Montana, uncovers evidence that a murder has recently taken place. With police far from the scene, the Department of Environmental Conservation's resources are stretched thin as a manhunt takes place amidst news of a bank robbery connected to the murder. The foresters and police scramble to keep the criminals from escaping detection in the mountains while frantically working to keep hikers and campers out of harm's way. As the foresters endeavor to put their competitive natures aside and learn to work together, the flurry of press coverage strains relationships, and personalities and motivations collide in the community and among their own ranks. Through it all, despite professional upheavals, the undeniable attraction between Stacy and Wayne continues to grow.