It's been a year since Sheriff Jim Stafford found himself in service to the Hill Devil, an eldritch beast once thought to be nothing more than an Ozark rural legend. Since then, Stafford has taken part in acts brutal enough to strike a seasoned inner-city detective nauseous. Strange and horrific events ramp up throughout the summer tourist season until Stafford and the residents of Hotspur, Arkansas, learn there may be worse things lurking in the dark than the devil they know.