It's autumn in Michigan, and the leaves are dripping with color-blood red. A killer with a penchant for collecting souvenirs from his victims has struck three times, each following a torrential rainstorm. And more storm clouds are building on the horizon. While horseback riding in a remote state park, amateur sleuth Carol Ward literally stumbles across one of the victim's graves and discovers the killer's calling card nearby: a tree decorated with the dead person's pilfered belongings. Carol begins investigating, but it's soon apparent that someone doesn't want her to find the truth. Cryptic death threats written in lipstick appear on her bathroom mirror, and a gift-boxed snake is delivered to her home. Carol has a single clue to go on. She knows the killer wears a full-length, waxed Australian coat. But at least five people in this small town own such a coat, including the hot-tempered sheriff who warned Carol to quit nosing around. With rain in the forecast, Carol fears the murderer is about to strike again-and she may be all that stands between the killer and his next victim.