Hank and Connie Lupino shared a wistful and ambitious dream of founding a special boarding school for "delinquent boys" at a place far from the poorer sections of Los Angeles. An inheritance and lottery winnings helped turn their dream into a reality. The Lupinos expected a warm reception in the sparsely inhabited northern California county where they purchased a defunct cattle ranch for renovation, but the welcome was not unanimous. A few people voiced their doubts, and fewer said nothing, but soon acted out their displeasure by attacking the building process and some of the people engaged in it, resulting in murder and attempted murder. Who was responsible and why? How were the Lupinos going to defend themselves while continuing with their goal of opening the school by fall? Hank and company fought back through a fog of mystery and mistrust.
