Iris Oakley, a young zookeeper at the Finley Memorial Zoo in Vancouver, Washington, hopes to reconcile with her newly sober husband, Rick. But when he's found dead and dead drunk in the lion exhibit, a paralyzing mix of grief and anger at his betrayal keeps Iris from questioning the assumptions around his death. But Iris' friends motivate her to prove that her husband could not have died the way it appears. Soon, however, these same friends impede her progress as she follows ambiguous clues and sorts through unlikely motives. Meanwhile, Iris must also adjust to losing her beloved job as feline keeper and instead learn to be a bird keeper. The zoo's veterinarian respects her skills, but the foreman would far rather she get a job elsewhere and the senior bird keeper seems to agree. After Iris survives a series of near-fatal accidents, a she begins to understand what really happened to Rick. But Iris must survive to prove it....