Cork O'Connor has always considered November to be the cruelest of months, yet his daughter has chosen this dismal time of year in which to marry. When a man camping in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness goes missing, Cork is asked by the man's family to stay on the case. The wedding is fast approaching, the weather looks threatening, but Cork doesn't return from the search. Locating Cork's campsite, they find blood-- a lot of it.