The citizens of Gallen are increasingly anxious due to the presence of a serial murderer, nicknamed the Cascade Killer, who has been preying on female students at Grover University. Professor Gus Villard of the Criminal Justice Department is asked to consult with the police and examine the evidence in order to produce a profile of the killer. 

Working with Lieutenant Laura Haskin of the Gallen Police Department, Villard reviews the evidence and pursues his own investigation. Meanwhile on campus, Chuck Mason—Villard's friend and colleague—becomes tangled in the pernicious web of academic treachery. Mason struggles to obtain tenure but is viciously opposed by Diane Koch, a troublesome faculty member. In Koch's efforts to deny Mason tenure, she attempts to link him to the Cascade Killer, throwing investigators off the true scent.

Villard continues to pursue a heartless killer and becomes convinced his work is on track when an attempt is made on his life. Determined and persistent, Villard remains diligent to find the key to this murderous puzzle, even if he ends up dead.