As an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, William Queen must tackle a number of challenging cases. In the winter of 1985, he faces his toughest mission to date: He must apprehend Mark Stephens, a notorious narcotics trafficker who has been terrorizing the communities around Los Angeles with frequent rampages involving machine guns and hand grenades. A recluse living in the treacherous backwoods outside the city, Stephens is a wily survivalist. Nobody has been able to catch him, but Queen is determined to take him down. Queen's unique expertise is not taught in any police academy or ATF training seminar-he honed his outdoorsman abilities as a kid. He is adept at hunting and trapping and living for weeks in the wild. Queen will use these skills-along with surveillance, confidential informants, and intelligence gathering-as he doggedly tracks his dangerous quarry, a chase that culminates in a gripping showdown high in the San Bernardino Mountains.