Adam Arnett, former Air Force jet-jockey, is a successful business executive, technological pioneer and community leader willing to forfeit prestige, money and power to escape the urban rat race and pursue his dream of the simple life. Ultimately the price is substantially more. A tour of northwestern Maine seems to be the answer, but nearly costs him his life. Betrayals and personal agendas stalk his quest. A gruesome discovery in the backwoods of Maine and a prophetic message from the dead change his course. A bizarre request from a dying judge offers Arnett the golden key to his future. Is Paula, the judge's niece, an erotic artist whose sexuality could be her undoing, be trusted? Could Jessica, the waitress from the nowhere café, who still bares scars of childhood abuse, be a part of Adams future? People in high places bend the rules, but not always for Adam's benefit. There is no question that Arnett fired the gun that killed, making it no simple task for attorney Sampson Curly' Wade to convince a jury that circumstance, not his client, is guilty of the crime for which Adam is charged. Fate renders the final verdict.