Expecting a quiet Christmas with her aunt and professor uncle in western Massachusetts, artist Kate Corliss finds herself in the middle of a bitter town-and-campus conflict over development of a treasured green space.Then an activist colleague of her uncle's is found dead and a wave of vandalism rocks the college.Spurred on by the victim's sister, who claims psychic powers, Kate searches for the source of violence as incidents pile up--a midnight prowler, poisoned mice and overwrought students.As Kate homes in on the clues, she becomes another target and her struggle accelerates to a physical battle for her life.