California zookeeper Theodora Bentley travels to Iceland to pick up an orphaned polar bear cub destined for the Gunn Zoo. But on day two, Teddy discovers a man lying atop a puffin burrow, shot through the head. The victim is American bird-watcher Simon Parr, winner of the largest Powerball payout in history. Is Teddy a witness-or a suspect? Others include Parr's wife, and fellow members of the birding club Parr had treated to the expedition--some of whom have had serious brushes with the law back in the States. Police detective Haraldsson grudgingly concedes Teddy's innocence and allows her to accompany the group in quest of rare birds. But once another member of the club is murdered and Teddy nearly so, Haraldsson forbids her to continue. She ignores him and, in a stunning, solitary face-off with the killer, concludes an investigation at once exotic, thrilling, and rich in animal lore.