At noon on the rainy Saturday after Thanksgiving Day, twenty-eight employees of Littmann's Janitorial Service board a luxury tour bus reserved by their boss. As they mix cocktails and open beers, they talk about the annual weekend party they will enjoy in South Lake Tahoe. The bus soon leaves Sacramento on Highway 50 and is followed by family members in private vehicles.
Two hours later, in light snow on Echo Summit, the bus slows for the steep, winding downgrade. Suddenly the engine dies and the brakes and steering refuse to work without power. The bus crashes through a barrier and drops a thousand vertical feet through trees and boulders. The unrestrained passengers are tossed about like frogs in a blender. By the time the bus comes to rest in a snow-covered field, all the employees and the driver are dead.
John Littmann covered each employee with a Company Owned Life Insurance (COLI) policy, and the following Monday morning he files claims totaling $14 million.
Private Investigator Dan Ballantine pulls his travel trailer to a river side resort near Sacramento and begins asking questions. He learns of a mysterious visitor to the crash site and soon finds his own life in jeopardy.
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