Annette Parr and four other Americans from Midwestern University are granted permission to do research in Bhutan's easternmost dzong, a monastery-fortress.

Dissension in the group ensues when vital research materials goes missing and they discover a body, the victim of what appears to be a brutal ritual slaying.  Monsoons, sky burials, mudslides and cremation add to the conflicts and mayhem as the team's tension continues to mount.

Annette struggles against time and the elements to search for answers in the dark dzong, hopefully finding them before another unexplained death occurs.