Adjusting to his new role as chief of detectives, Jake Hines smells trouble when a gang of grifters hits town. Ironically, the crime rate in Rutherford, Minnesota, had taken a merciful springtime plunge and Jake had hoped to close some older, unsolved cases. No such luck -- especially when two male corpses are found grotesquely crammed into an alleyway trash can. The condition of the bodies indicates torture, and, adding to the ominous edge, the crime scene garbage can was taken from the property of one of Hines's officers, Bo Dooley, and his drug-addicted wife. The growing sense of urgency escalates when a picnic area reveals a grim surprise and leaves Hines and his force following a trail of dodging, deceit and death in what has fast become their most bizarre and bewildering case to date.