A best-selling author finds himself mired in a plot straight out of one of his books, and the clock is ticking down to the death of those around him.

Duncan McCammon receives a text for help from his sister. When he arrives at her house, he discovers her gone and her husband murdered.

Detective Kennedy Sparks arrives on the scene, doing her best to remain professional and not let her traitorous heart focus on how good Duncan looked after all the years that had passed.

As the two investigate, they are drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse where Duncan's long ago rock-climbing buddies are killed off one by one. The killer is following the plot of one of Duncan's books based on an unfortunate accident that had happened years before - a plot that would result in the woman Duncan loved being murdered.

Can Duncan and Kennedy locate the killer before Kennedy becomes a victim?