Marietta Collins, a former nun, becomes entangled in the tragedy of a brutal murder. Marietta, now the head of a youth drug rehab center, is dedicated to ridding the community of the growing criminal element.

The victim of the suspected mafia hit was her friend Joseph Gleason W, a drug informant. During the course of the investigation, she meets the victim's brother, FBI assistant director Raymond Gleason. There's an instant attraction between the two. He becomes her first lover, and their romance blossoms into a deep love for each other.

Raymond gives FBI agent Jerry Young, who is also his best friend, the responsibility of investigating the murder and hunting down the mafia's kingpin. Marietta and Jerry have a brief of a clandestine affair that they are both later sorry for. Jerry, haunted by guilt for his violent past, turns to his childhood mentor, a mysterious Cherokee shaman, to save him from the burning fires of lust and his desire for vengeance.

Also involved in the search for the murderer is Detective Riley, a tough, trash-talking female cop formerly with the NYPD, who discovers her new boss, Sgt. Sorrento is on the take from the mob.

While other minor characters help tell this gripping story, this is an action-packed mystery and love story that also examines the conflicted emotions of the characters as they try to make sense of their lives through the web of crime, darkness, and light.