Plans for a new highway that would cut through the lovely woods outside of Kingsmarkham have raised a massive local protest. The outburst turns deadly serious when a desperate group takes five hostages--including Chief Inspector Wexford's wife, Dora--and threatens to kill them. Combining high technology with his extraordinary detecting skills, Wexford and his team race to find the fanatics and their hostages. When the first body is found, Wexford's search gains a fanatical dimension itself.