A man"s body is found in the unforgiving New Mexico desert, his face so smashed that identification is impossible. It"s the beginning of a brutal murder spree that will take Posadas County"s new undersheriff, Estelle Reyes - Guzman, into a case with roots on both sides of the border. Retired Sheriff Bill Gastner, now a livestock inspector for the state, is still close at hand to provide unerring logic and horse sense as Reyes - Guzman attempts to identify the "Juan" Doe. Another body turns up in a shallow grave, revealing little about the killer, but more about the victims. And when a suspicious fire takes a third life, the terrible twist finally offers the break Estelle has been looking for, one that will lead her back into a harsh, merciless desert where death welcomes all.