Suspended for one year from her position as homicide investigator for the Rhode Island State Police for issuing an OUI to a powerful congressman who demands a public apology, Claire Evergreen is not content to sit around collecting unemployment for twelve months. She learns of an open position for sheriff of the small town of Smoky Point on Long Island, applies, and to her surprise, gets the job. Smoky Point is a sleepy little town on the easternmost point of Long Island which relies heavily on tourism for its livelihood. Claire inherits a small staff of three deputies: Turley, an older, seasoned veteran; Knox, a young man waiting for bigger things; and Rose, a middle-aged single parent just trying to get by. As she acclimates herself to small-town life, Claire reads arrest reports from previous years and notices a serious spike in crime from Memorial Day to Labor Day, which is no surprise since that's the height of the tourist season. What is a surprise is how many motorcycle gang members from Rhode Island are arrested in Smoky Point each summer. She recognizes some of the names, being familiar with them from her years as a trooper before being promoted to homicide. Claire assigns Rose the task of pulling all arrest records on one particular motorcycle club, The Disciples.
