As sheriff of Wyoming's Absaroka County, Walt Longmire is used to the mundane problems of rural life. So when Cody Pritchard is found dead near the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, people are initially inclined to think it's a hunting accident. But two years earlier Cody had been one of four high school boys convicted of brutally raping Melissa Little Bird, a young Cheyenne girl with fetal alcohol syndrome, and the boys were let off with suspended sentences, causing turmoil in both the white and Native American communities. Is this a revenge killing? Walt Longmire intends to find out.
After twenty-four years as sheriff, Walt, along with Deputy Victoria Moretti and life-long friend Henry Standing Bear, is embroiled in the most volatile and challenging case of his career. He might be the only thing standing between the three remaining boys and a Sharps .45-70 buffalo rifle.