TripStone hates to kill her gods but she must feed her people. An accomplished hunter in the Masari village of Crossroads, she is charged with the ritual slaying of the sacred Yata. Her comrade Ghost tries to end Masari dependence on Yata meat by performing experiments punishable by death. His jeopardy increases when he shelters a teenage runaway sickened by fasting. Their worldview shatters when they harbor a Yata woman raised to be livestock instead of a god. But Crossroads itself is imperiled. Hidden in the far woods, a secret Yata militia is preparing to alter the balance of power.

[Note: Boldface and italics did not show up in the Goodreads e-book reader for Appetite, but I could see them in my Calibre reader after I downloaded the file.] The Covenant has been destroyed and Crossroads' way of life along with it. The Masari face starvation in the depth of winter. Without Crossroads' tithes, the Basc Yata are equally helpless. In the midst of famine, Promontory and Destiny Farm prepare to conquer the valley. A secret and uneasy alliance remains the only option. Unwillingly thrust into power, HigherBrook must now trust Gria, the very person who had led the massacre of Crossroads' hunters. Another partnership proves even more disturbing. As Gria and TripStone plot to destroy Destiny Farm, what began as a fringe militia has expanded into a fullblown Yata army. Destiny Farm's meat keeps Crossroads alive, but every sale bankrupts Crossroads further and increases the risk of Basc's Yata becoming livestock. TripStone's ticket into Promontory is the meat trader BrushBurn. Each seeks to manipulate the other, but their mutual attraction and unsettling intimacy place both at risk. Unaware of the fate that has befallen Crossroads, TripStone's comrade Ghost and his pregnant wife Piri search for a home where they can raise their hybrid child in peace. But no place is safe, and Piri risks giving birth in the deepest heart of danger.

Unrest simmers in the region. Repeated acts of sabotage threaten Promontory's Destiny supply, while Crossroads teeters on the brink of bankruptcy. Bent on destroying Destiny Farm, TripStone arrives in Promontory as an advance scout for Gria's forces. But the more she learns about that city and its history, the more she doubts her mission. And the more she learns about BrushBurn, the more her feelings for him tear her apart. Unaware of the mission, Ghost fears TripStone dead as he struggles to protect his new family. The very people hiding them are under pressure to unlock Destiny's secrets, giving Masari control of the drug… … while back in Crossroads, HigherBrook must find a way to save his people as they face certain invasion.

Vol. 4: Promontory's people must hunt down the escaped "Farm Yata" or starve, but they must also integrate with the Skedge Yata to save their industries. The drive toward integration makes TripStone the main target of a Yata out to save her kin in the canyon. Across the region, Crossroads and Basc struggle to maintain a peaceful coexistence, but violations bring them to the brink of all-out war.