Jake Daniels is a man haunted by nightmares and events that won't seem to leave him in peace. His job with the FBI is hanging by a thread and now he has another serial killer on his hands, something he thought he had escaped from when he left the 'big city'.

In a small northern California town, someone is killing women in a bizarre fashion. Holidays are supposed to be a special time of year, but the holidays in this town are turning into nightmares. Jake gathers his team: a high-brow psychiatrist from San Francisco, an Aussie cop on loan, an ex-cop who did time for murder and an ex-pro football player who has something to prove.

This team is determined to find the killer, in spite of the local sheriff and the coroner, who view the FBI's intrusion as a challenge.