The death of a Chinese man leads photographer Nellie Burns and Sheriff Asteguitoiri to Vienna, a ghost town in the Stanley Basin in 1920's Idaho. Sammy Ah Kee, who taught Nellie to drive, found the man's body and is accused of killing him.

With the help of Nellie's dog Moonshine, they discover a conspiracy dedicated to enslaving Chinese immigrants. Days later, Sammy and Nellie explore the mine entrance and unearth a secret. Mayhem and murder follow all of their explorations. The conspirators capture and torture the sheriff, leaving him for dead. Moonie, Rosy Kipling, Sammy, and Alphonso, a sheepherder from Nellie's time in the Basin, help Nellie follow the complex trails and motives in this western landscape lurking with greed and evil.