The northwest corner of Yellowstone Park is closed for bear management and Rachel, a bear biologist, is discovering some very startling animal behavior--grizzlies denning in June, swans at their wintering grounds in summer, what appear to be Irish Elk, an extinct species, with huge palmated antlers. There are also horrific mutations in the young--elk calves with no front legs, earless bear cubs, and eaglets without wings. What has gone wrong? Why is this area closed? Who's covering up these animal abnormalities in the Park? A non-stop thriller set in some of North America's wildest country, In Velvet takes you deep into the hearts of an uncommon bear biologist, a hard case local detective, and a Chicago cop as they take on a corrupt sheriff, a pathological poacher, and a lethal black ops manager to solve this ghastly mystery and restore the natural order in Yellowstone National Park.