Lochdubh, a remote village reached only by a one-track lane, nestles serenely amid Scotland's hills, until well-known television reporter Crystal French races into town in her bright BMW. And the local constable, Hamish Macbeth, wed to duty instead of the girlfriend who dumped him, promptly gives her a summons for reckless driving.

Outraged, Crystal makes Macbeth's life a misery with a TV report on policing in the Highlands. When she also rakes up old local scandals for her new hit show, Macbeth notes that someone besides himself might be dead keen to stop her. Then someone does—with stealth and violence.

Finding out who did it will lead Macbeth down roads he never envisioned, into a dark story of passion and vengeance—and perhaps a crisis of the heart all his own.