Near the piano she saw him. He was tall and his face hidden in shadow. She could just make out the glimmer of a knife, poised high over the open piano. "No!" she cried, and as the knife came down, she grabbed for the intruder's arm with all her might.

Headstrong and independent, the new schoolteacher, Christy Huddleston, was determined to change the lives of the poor mountain children in Cutter Gap. Yet, it seemed that anything new and strange posed a threat to the mountain people, who were fiercely proud of their old way of life. Evidently, Christy has angered someone enough to cause a string of mysterious pranks. The handsome, young minister David Grantland feared the pranks would turn dangerous. Unfortunately, he didn't know how right his fears would be.