Gabriel McQueen has only just arrived home on holiday leave from the service when his county-sheriff father sends him back out again with new marching orders. A brewing ice storm, and a distant neighbour who's fallen out of contact, have the local lawman concerned. So he enlists Gabriel to make the long haul to the middle of nowhere, and make sure Lolly Helton is safe and sound. It's a trip the younger McQueen would rather not make given the bitter winter weather - and the icy conditions that have always existed between him and Lolly. But there's no talking back when your dad is the town's top cop. And there's no turning back when night falls just as Gabriel arrives - and discovers that the weather outside isn't the only thing that's frightful. Spotting strangers in Lolly's home - one of them carrying a weapon - is all it takes to kick Gabriel into combat mode. And his stealth training is all he needs to extract Lolly from the house without alerting her captors. But when the escape is discovered, the heat - and the hunt - are on.