In Desert Reckoning, part of The Whistler series, the story unfolds in the stark beauty of the Mexican desert under a full moon. Pilot Larry Travis is at the controls of a small cabin plane, accompanied by his partner Johnny Baron and Johnny's girlfriend, Ella Winnon. The trio is en route to San Diego after sealing a lucrative business deal worth eighty thousand dollars. However, their flight takes a dire turn when the plane unexpectedly loses altitude, leaving them stranded in the vast, barren landscape.