On his first day as a police officer, Jack Delaney saves the life of a petty thug named Doyle Howland. With the events that follow, Jack will come to regret this act of kindness. Doyle Howland is only the latest in a long line of criminally inclined Howlands. The murder of his father, Sonny, had sent shock waves through his small community in rural western Wisconsin many years ago. Rumors down at the local watering hole put good odds on navy veteran Will Graves for the crime. Jack has always admired the quiet World War II hero and remains convinced that someone else must have committed the crime. This conviction led him all the way to the police academy and a career in law enforcement. It also leads him to reexamine the case. Everyone believes that Will killed Sonny for having an affair with his wife, but Will's granddaughter Anna adamantly denies that her grandmother would fall for such a disreputable man. As Jack and Anna get closer to the truth, they also grow closer to each other. Will their burgeoning relationship weather the return of a vengeful Doyle Howland and shocking revelations about Sonny's murder?