Dan Austin's life seems just about perfect. The artwork he and his wife Karen produce is selling well in southern California galleries; they enjoy the hiking and fishing trips in the Sierra Nevada Mountains that provide the inspiration for their landscapes, and they've discovered significant bits of gold in the bed of the Yuba River where they camp. They seem to be on the way to realizing their dream of a retreat center where they and other artists of all disciplines can create. Then Dan comes up with an idea to significantly increase the efficiency of their prospecting – an idea that involves explosives and the expertise of his old friend, Alosha. The project attracts the attention of a biker gang with underworld connections; a mysterious hermit, Nathan, with resources beyond their imagining; and, eventually, the FBI. The ensuing complications include kidnapping, human trafficking, murder, flight across state lines, and a bloody firefight between the family Dan, Karen and Nathan have gathered around them and the mercenaries brought in by the forces of corruption they have uncovered