When rugged construction worker and biker Cal Hysong is killed, PI Dick Hardesty knows the reason-Cal was widely suspected of deliberately spreading AIDS to other gay men. Like the rest of the gay community, Dick's initial reaction is "good riddance." But when Jake Jacobson and Jared Martinson, two of his closest friends, become suspects, the case turns personal, and Dick sets out to clear them and find the real killer. His search takes him into the unfamiliar world of gay bikers and leathermen, and through a labyrinth of suspects, motivations, blind alleys and memorable characters.