Recently returned from fighting an unwinnable war against insurgents in Southeast Asia, Grady Service finds himself in a depressingly similar situation stateside. The portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula known as the Garden is the setting for another type of guerrilla war: one that sets Service and his comrades against lawless, violent natives who flaunt fish and game regulations that seek to balance the needs of those who make their living from the abundant wildlife with the needs of the environment. To break the impasse,Grady participates in a clandestine counterinsurgency campaign.