Controversial author David Etheridge is not the kind of company senator McCrutchen wants to keep, but the two men have history: both were implicated in the death of a young co-ed, but the case was never solved. When Etheridge returns to Oregon, McCrutchen is his grudging host, until the senator is found shot dead. Etheridge is again suspected of murder, only this time he’s facing a double charge and the court of public opinion.