Meridith Stevens, a young academic, is in Yellowstone National Park searching for her wayward niece, a seasonal employee. After she observes an attaché case passed from one man to another while at Old Faithful she thinks nothing of it, but shortly thereafter her car is forced off the road. Rescued from the car crash by Jake Crockett a photo-journalist in the park doing an article for his magazine, Meri accepts transportation from Jake to where her niece is working. Meri and Jake develop a contentious relationship, among other things, regarding wolves and grizzlies on the Endangered Species List and become entangled, along with Meri's niece, in drugs among seasonal workers in the park. Along the way, Meri is stalked by an unknown person and she and her niece confront professional and personal crossroads in each of their lives.