Wyoming college professor, after-hours musician, and sometimes-sleuth "Mustang" Sally Alder never really got over her youthful infatuation with the legendary singer Thomas "Stone" Jackson. So how can she resist when the icon appears before her in the flesh and asks Sally to keep an eye on his ex-wife, folksinger Nina Cruz? As it turns out, Jackson's concern is more than justified when Cruz is shot dead soon after in the snow-covered forest behind her house.

The sheriff's office believes Nina's death was a hunting accident, but Sally isn't convinced. And if Sally does too much snooping, she may find herself the next victim of a sinister local conspiracy fueled by a lethal combination of altruism and greed.