Verton, Pennsylvania, is a steel town where impartiality in the age-old war between the company and the workers never goes unpunished. Glenn Dempster, the town's new police chief after ending his predecessor's corrupt administration, is untrusted, even in victory. At the start of his administration, he undergoes trial by fire when an explosion at the steel mill's blast furnace threatens the end of steel production. Four are killed. One victim, with only partial remains, goes unidentified, beginning a final battle between union and company over the identity. In the disaster's aftermath, every rift in town is exposed, including Glenn's oldest friendships and his failing marriage. When the children of Glenn's opponents target his young daughter at school, a father weighs his family's safety against his principles, and a police chief considers how to apply his authority. Eleven-year-old Heather throws herself into the conflict when her father's enemies make a final move against him and she makes a desperate attempt to keep vital evidence out of their hands by running off into the Pennsylvania backwoods as a storm descends on the town.