Two young women have been savagely murdered in the sleepy little town of Julian, California. Cyrus "Moondog" Nygerski, part-time newspaper columnist and full-time local eccentric, notices frightening similarities between the two deaths -- including the fact that both occurred under a full moon.

Joe Acton, new in town and determined to maintain a low profile after a youthful life of petty crime, is initially skeptical of Moondog's theory of a werewolf on the prowl, but gradually he becomes a reluctant ally in Moondog's desperate quest to track down the beast before it's too late. With the next full moon coinciding with Julian's gala Halloween celebration, time is running out -- for Julian, and perhaps for Moondog as well.