Moroni Traveler, the Salt Lake City investigator heralded by the New York Times Book Review as "a true rebel hero in the classic private-eye tradition," finds himself working on a very personal case as he and his adoptive father, Martin, look for the three-year-old child who may or may not be Moroni's son. Tracking down a lead, the two men end up in a virtual ghost town in the Oquirrh Mountains. All but deserted, the old mining town of Bingham Canyon is about to be evacuated and razed by the powerful Kennecott Copper Company, which is eager to get at the mineral wealth buried beneath the community. A few families are hanging on, though, including one that may be sheltering the newest Traveler.

The father-son duo's efforts are hampered by the slated demolition of their offices in the Chester Building, and even more so by the antics of their fellow tenants, Mad Bill and Charlie Redwine, whose latest shenanigans have evoked the wrath of the church. With Martin trying to preserve the building and protect Bill and Charlie, Moroni continues the search—until murder rears its ugly head and the investigation moves into a whole new dimension.