Homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite returns to the police after the sensational retrial of her sister's killer. Still scarred by this ordeal, Tracy is drawn into an investigation that threatens to end her career, if not her life.

A serial killer known as Cowboy is killing young women in cheap motels in North Seattle. Even after a stalker leaves Crosswhite a threatening message suggesting that the killer or an impersonator might target her personally, the policewoman is tasked with bringing the killer to justice.

With few leads and more victims, Tracy realizes that the key to solving the murders may lie in a decade-old murder investigation that others, including her captain Johnny Nolasco, would rather keep closed.

Will Tracy find the evidence to stop the Cowboys in time, or will she become his next victim?