Billie Blackwater is the only shapeshifter in the mountain town of Juniper, Colorado-at least since her father accidentally shot her mother, thinking he was protecting the family from a mountain lion. Now, Billie works at the historic Silver Coin Hotel, and when she's not serving drinks, checking in tourists, or leading bogus ghost tours, the hotel proprietor, Mitch, exploits her shapeshifting abilities to spy on the patrons of his illegal casino.

When she discovers that a local drug dealer is peddling a dangerous new synthetic drug called Scarlet, Mitch wants him taken care of and tries to convince Billie to do the deed. She refuses-but he winds up dead anyway, along with two of Mitch's henchmen. With all three deaths looking like the result of wild animal attacks and a vindictive boss ready to out her secret, the blame is going to rest on her shoulders if she can't figure out who or what did the killing.