Will Lansa, raised by his white mother in Aspen, is spending the summer on the Hopi reservation with his father, the tribal police chief. The chief is investigating the murder of a man found near a sacred place. Some suspect it's the work of a powaqu, a powerful witch. Will's own investigation finds him caught up in ancient prophecies and mystical visions that suddenly place his life in jeopardy.

Now that he's back in Aspen, Colorado, Will Lansa feels like an outsider after spending the summer with his father on the Hopi reservation in Arizona. He breaks up with his girlfriend Myra, and then becomes the last person known to have seen her alive. When a missing knife is discovered with blood on the blade and traces of a drug on the handle, Will is suspected of committing the murder. His only allies are a computer hacker and a Hopi spirit who visits Will in his dreams. Haunted by visions of Myra's death, Will won't rest until he proves his innocence and finds Myra's murderer.