The discovery of a bear-ravaged body abandoned in the wilderness, some killer rapids, a fumigated lab, stolen research disks, and a stalled career all coalesce into the ripening madness that hauls zoology professor Cordi O'Callaghan into some very wild, very dangerous places.

While the police label the wilderness mauling an accidental death, Cordi realizes that the theft of her disks is somehow related to the body she found in the woods. She must unsnarl the mess if she is to salvage her academic career. Cordi's athletically ingenious and hair-raising solutions to deadly encounters keep her one stumble ahead of a murderer as she follows a path littered with motives. But nothing can prepare her for the final shocking twist that leaves her with a wrenching dilemma – one that no one with a conscience should have to face.