It’s August 1974. The oil-producing states of the Middle East refuse to sell their oil to the United States, igniting a worldwide economic crisis. What’s a catastrophe for some is, for the residents of at least one small town, an opportunity: Burr, Oklahoma sits atop a sea of oil. The embargo sparks an increase in local drilling, resulting in an economic boom. Of course, the newfound prosperity comes with a price; Burr begins to experience problems once almost exclusively associated with big cities: illegal drugs, sexual assault, and a skyrocketing murder rate.

When a disabled young man is found shot to death in the back row of a drive-in movie theater, Burr’s police chief, Emmett Hardy, considers it an isolated act of depravity. As the dominos fall, however, Emmett realizes he might be searching for a type of killer who, in 1974, had yet to be named—someone who kills repeatedly, savagely, and seemingly at random. Hardy searches for the culprit even as old habits cloud his mind and clues to the killer’s identity go unnoticed. The trail circles back and becomes a noose. It’s up to Emmett to cut himself down before it’s too late.