In the wooded Amish hill country, a professor at a small college, a local pastor and the county sheriff are the only ones among the mainstream - or 'English' - who possess the instincts and skills to work the cases that impact all county residents, no matter their code of conduct or religious creed. Enos Erb, an Amish man, claims that his brother, Benny - a dwarf like himself - has been murdered. Upon investigation, links to a controversial genetics study examining the effects of inbreeding within the Amish community are discovered.