Whitewater guide Dani Whalen finds a body washed up on the river's edge outside Aspen, Colorado, and is stunned to discover it's Trey Watkins—a close friend. Watkins's death is quickly ruled an accident. But Dani isn't convinced even if Wade Dunn, the local police chief and her ex-stepfather, also believes Trey's death was accidental. Undeterred, Dani secretly builds her case, and when Ron, a hot-air-balloon operator who insists he saw something that day to back up her claims, is killed himself in a fiery crash, Dani threatens to take her suspicions public.

When Dani's father contacts his old friend, Ty Hauck, and asks him to help his daughter, Ty doesn't hesitate. Soon Ty and Dani become ensnared in a sinister scheme running deep beneath the surface of a quiet Colorado town. But there is one resource more valuable than oil in this drought-stricken region: water. As Ty and Dani discover the true price that all will pay to get it, they're drawn in deeper while the stakes grow even higher.