Sworn to protect a scenic island meant to be far from the evils of the mainland, Detective Sergeant Stilwell can feel danger closing in. A threat is coing to Catalina Island, Detective Sergeant Stilwell's safe haven. Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, he and his deputies watch a plane land in the middle of the night at the Airport in the Sky, a remote airstrip in the mountains. A duffel bag of drugs is dropped, and the deputies move in, but things quickly go sideways. Shots are fired and the plane flies off. An internal inquiry follow, puttins Stilwell on the bench until he is cleared of responsibility for the disastrous operation. Under orders to keep a low profile, he finds an abandoned backpack and traces it to a woman who disappeared while hiking on the island four years ago. Why was it turned in to the substation only two months back? Thoroughly intrigues, he follows the mystery all the way to the LAPD's Open-Unsolved Unit and Detective Renée Ballard. Working the case from both sides of the cahnnel, Stilwell and Ballard soon realize they are the trail of a criminal who revels in taunting the authorties.--