In Cypress Village, Oregon, a serial arsonist holds the residents hostage. Too afraid to leave their homes or fall asleep at night, citizens are frantic for a swift end to the crimes that threaten their tourism, properties, livelihoods and lives. With the advent of a long, dry summer, Lieutenant Carolyn Latham desperately strives to capture a malicious criminal who is always one step ahead of the law.
Across the globe, in isolated and impoverished villages in India, people struggle to cope with the woes befalling them: illness, drought, crushing debt. Panchayats, assemblies of wise elders, are held to address the mounting fears of the community. The villagers agree to use the methods they know best to rout out what they believe to be witches in their midst.
When Carolyn receives a series of terrifying e-mails detailing unthinkable abominations in India, she recognizes the deft, diabolical hand of a persistend and ruthless nemesis. His invitation to come and play in India may be impossible to resist.