Set against the backdrop of a traditionally conservative South, a kaleidoscope of colorful characters and intricate sub-plots exist in an environment, paradoxically undermined by poverty, alcohol abuse and the current nationwide drug epidemic. Julie Boucher, a Knoxville, Tennessee police detective, investigates prostitution, narcotics trafficking, outlaw biker gangs, amphetamine cookers, automotive theft, and social welfare fraud. But she also encounters a series of brutal murders that only culminate in investigative dead ends. Is there any possibility they are linked? James Ewell Brown, an avowed Christian celibate whose hypocritical Pastor causes him to lose faith in God, engages in a relationship with a virgin dominatrix. Dr. Lynn Greer,