Devastated by her boyfriend's murder, Summer Timber Wolf, Niipo Ómahkapi'si, goes back to Browning, Montana to take care of her Blackfeet grandmother. That choice finds her living in the ways of the old ones in a tipi on the shores of St. Mary's River in the shadow of the Chief Mountains. Her Nah'ah tells her to listen to the whispering spirits of her ancestors. They are her shield, her past, her present and her future. Summer, however, is not so easily convinced.

It doesn't take long before Summer realizes they're not alone. Has her boyfriend's killer found them? To protect her grandmother, Summer trusts their scout and protector, Cameron Running Crane. Soon she doubts her decision and wonders if he's the kind of killer we instinctively fear the most; a loved one.

The truth will be revealed in time . . . what she doesn't know is who will survive.