When a failed kidnapping sparks a series of murders, a woman becomes the next target in a killer's game of dominoes. On Christmas night, Ben Burrows, a detective for the tony town of Amherst, New York, is called to investigate the scene of a fatal accident. Upon inspection and from past history, he knows that John Beck engineered the staircase death of his wife. But can he prove it? As he searches for evidence to convict him, another body surfaces and puts the life of wealthy heiress, Victoria Reynolds, in grave danger. Ben assigns bodyguard, Medoc Hast, to protect her, but soon finds his case hampered by a growing attachment between them, his inability to find the suspect who wants her dead and the person who tampered with his crime scene. Further complications arise when he agrees to help a friend with her dysfunctional family. How Ben Burrows solves the case, helps the injured parties and comes to terms with his own solitary life unfolds in a very surprising way.