A series of seemingly random murders have been happening along a fifty mile stretch of the rugged northern California coast, committed by an unknown dubbed the "Coastline Killer." A young couple with marital problems, Shelby and Jay Macklin, decide to spend the week between Christmas and New Year's at a friend's remote coastal cottage. Two couples in a neighboring home, whose relationships are thick with festering menace, and a fierce winter storm lead to a night of unrelenting terror. These are the main ingredients in Bill Pronzini's chilling and twist-filled tale about the hidden nature of crime and its motives.