With her teenage daughter's birthday on the horizon and the Early Autumn Breze Celebration in full swing, Emerald has her hands full with party preparations and teashop specials. But a request from her friend Jimbo has her using her abilities to look into the disappearance of his friend. In the woods surrounding the Klickavail Valley enclave, Emerald senses a strange energy manifesting itself - before literally stumbling across the body of Jimbo's friend. While the police are willing to blame the death on a cougar attack, Emerald knows there's something else wandering the forest - something that resembles the Klakatat monster of legend, but may be a monster of a more human kind...