In Montecito, California, a series of natural disasters culminates in a massive mudslide and untold numbers of missing and dead. Angela Garcia, found buried in the mud, is considered one of the casualties, until an autopsy determines she died from a gunshot wound. Detectives Ron Jackson and Mary Ann McDonald can find no motive for anyone to murder the respected child services caseworker-until they discover that eight children, all last seen in the custody of Angela, have vanished without a trace. Tensions mount as each new piece of evidence leads them nowhere. Suspects in the case end up dead. A powerful politician questions the detectives' competence. The police chief, up for re-election, demands the case be solved-or else. To save their careers and solve the case, Jackson and McDonald race to find Angela's drug dealing brother, the only one who might have the answers.