Seattle police detective John Kanin has a problem. He's in love, but shortly after agreeing to marry him, his girlfriend disappears. His search leads to her home town, where people are clearly hiding information from him. One of the things they are hiding is the fact that they are all wolves, as is John's girlfriend, Ruby.
Harsh Realm is a military simulation that turned into a post-apocalyptic training scenario after a nuclear bomb was detonated in the simulated New York City.
The US Army programmed the simulation, which went online in 1995 and caused the death of four million people. Harsh Realm is now used to prepare for disaster scenarios.
Newt Call returns to town after two years of womanizing and drinking, to find his brother-in-law is now an alcoholic sheriff who blames him for his sister's death.
The town is run by Clayton Mosby, who cannot forget Call's late wife, and the hotel is owned by Amanda Carpenter, a woman with a mysterious past. Curtis Wells also gets a new gunsmith, Mattie Shaw.