Professor Robert McCain, the Rainier University expert in serial killers, turns up dead and Ellison is forced to re-open a case that dates back to his youth. As a 10-year-old Jim discovered the last known victim of the infamous Country Club Strangler and it's haunted him ever since.

Some visiting Buddhist monks start dying in Cascade's Chinatown district and Lila, Jim's old love from his days in Bali, seems to be involved. Jim's investigation is hampered by some overwhelming sensory overloads that all but incapacitate him.