Bordello madam Hennessey Reed suspects even the combined magic of laudanum and Irish whiskey will not soothe her distress on this occasion. The girl lying violated on the undertaker's table will remain dead, wounds horrifying, inexplicable, and reminiscent of Indian sacrifice.Hennessey treasures the uneasy peace she has found in the remote town of Melancholy in 1880s Idaho Territory. However, the discovery of three more young victims compromises this hard-won equilibrium when she recognizes one of them.Hennessey decides Marshal Rafael Cooper requires her help to find the killer, although acknowledges he may not necessarily agree. Nevertheless, with her Bowie strapped to her calf and wolfhound Raven at her side she sets out to investigate - a one-woman stampede.