FBI forensic pathologist Dr. Catherine Cat Powers and her young son, Joey, have been trying to cope with the emotional aftermath of life without Mark, Cat’s ex-husband and Joey’s father. Joey is especially vulnerable after his kidnapping by the Burning Man a year ago. But when a mysterious manila envelope arrives in Cat’s mailboxa gift from a serial killer from Cat’s pastshe realizes that she and Joey may never be safe again.

Once again, she teams up with police detective Jim McGregor, but as they methodically hunt down one serial killer, Southern California’s beautiful neighborhoods begin to burn, one by one. As powerful Santa Ana winds whip the flames, Cat knows she must catch another killera serial arsonist who is happy not only to burn buildings but to watch his infernos consume people’s lives. With the intensity and ferocity of the fires increasing, Cat knows time is running out. Will she pay the ultimate price? Or will she bring these killers to justice?