North of Anchorage is the backwoods brush of Chulitna - a wild country and sportsman's paradise - the perfect spot for whitewater rafting, panning for gold, fishing - and murder. When a vacationing couple fails to return to work after the holiday weekend, state troopers discover they are the victims of cold-blooded murder. Authorities suspect Paul Stavenjord, a mountain man with a colorful past, but Stavenjord goes on the run, sending troopers on an intense manhunt in the dense Alaskan brush.