Deep in the Utah desert, the small polygamous community of Blister Creek has a history of protecting its own. Even when a young woman is brutally murdered just blocks from her home, the residents of the conservative enclave close ranks. But just because they don't want outside law enforcement in their business doesn't mean the murder will go unpunished. More than a thousand miles away, Jacob Christianson, a medical student and son of a devout church elder, learns of his cousin Amanda's murder. Though Jacob is skeptical of many of the community's fundamentalist beliefs, his sharply analytical mind and family connection to the victim earns him the assignment of investigator into Amanda's death. Jacob heads to Blister Creek, accompanied by his inquisitive younger sister, Eliza, to probe the bizarre circumstances of their cousin's violent death. It doesn't take long for the pair to realize that Amanda's murder was no random act; rather, it is part of a covert plot to overthrow the church's leaders.