Usually a law officer is a figure of trust in a small community. Unfortunately for the residents of a small Montana town, Lou Ford is an exception. Behind his easygoing, likeable shell is an intensely violent core resulting from an abusive childhood. In a diner one day Lou sees his dead father and hears voices, the first hint that he may have mental problems. When Lou gets involved with a local prostitute's blackmail schemes, the carefully crafted facade he maintains begins to unravel into a vicious killing spree that leads to a thought-provoking and disturbing conclusion.