When whip-smart New York City reporter Emma Gardner learns of her father's untimely death, she returns to her hometown to find that the idyllic farming community of her childhood has been ravaged by drought and become a place tormented by gangs and the ill effects of extreme poverty. She quickly figures out that her dad's accidental death was not accidental at all. The lists of possible suspects include overzealous environmentalists, a local warlord, and other farmers jealous of her father's outstanding reputation.