On a cold, rainy night in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, an Amish man named Jacob Stoltzfus drives his horse and buggy along a two-lane road when a car-full of kids viciously rams the buggy. When he stops to inspect the damage, a man in a pickup truck pulls over and demands Jacob give him the bag he is carrying. When the bandana obscuring the intruder's face slips off, the thief shoots and kills Jacob.

Pennsylvania State Trooper John Lapp, who left the Amish faith fifteen years earlier, is called to the crime scene. He grew up with Jacob and was once in love with the victim's widow, Sallie. The Amish, a religious sect that shuns modern life, do not see revenge and will not assist in finding Jacob's killer. That is, until Jacob's slightly retarded brother, Amos, is charged with the murder.

While Lapp struggles with the disappointments in his own life, his investigation puts him in constant contact with Sallie. He finds himself frequently wondering if he could return to farming and accept the restraints of Amish life or if Sallie would even have him. In his search for the real killer, Lapp sets up a chain of events that reveal the shocking truth behind Jacob's murder.