The Barnabys plan to renew their wedding vows for their 25th anniversary when Tom is distracted by a murder committed with an Indian sword in Badger's Drift.

The nude body of a Brazilian woman is found strangled in the woods, which suggests that a serial killer from nine years before has begun killing again.

The murder of a village blow-hard, who had few supporters among his neighbors, happens while a gathering of travelers is taking place.