Struggling writer Skip Larson receives the offer of a lifetime: collaborate on a novel with best-selling author Chester Everett McGraw. The catch? He must cut off contact with the outside world for the six months he will spend at Chester’s remote Texas ranch. Skip accompanies McGraw’s right-hand man Digger to the ranch, where he meets Catalina, the housekeeper, and beautiful Kara, whose job it is to entertain Skip. At first, all goes well. But Chester is an abusive taskmaster. And when Kara disappears, Skip suspects foul play. A romance with Catalina provides solace, but when Skip urges her to flee with him she refuses. Digger foils Skip’s escape attempt and he is now a prisoner. Skip appears to accept his fate. But when a disagreement with Chester leads to a fight, Skip is beaten before managing a desperate escape. While in hiding, Skip deduces the awful truth of Chester’s success. Now he must return to the ranch to rid himself of the deadly threat posed by his one-time hero.