Racing at Virginia's beautiful Colonial Downs twists into a nightmare for jockey Nicky Latrelle. A sociopath sells diet cocktails ? killing jockeys who struggle to make racing weight.

Alarming events greet Nicky and exercise rider Lorna Doone upon their arrival at Colonial ? strange noises echo in the nighttime woods, a man with haunted eyes drags a dirt-smeared shovel from the forest, and the body of a burn victim lies on the road outside the track.

Nicky's unease turns to dismay when bad-boy Bobby Duvayne mesmerizes young Lorna with his raw sexuality and a dangerous supply of drugs.

A hidden meth lab, an old family secret, a body buried years ago in the woods, and Lorna's disappearance pull Nicky into a race against death.