After nearly a decade of silence, Benjamin Ford believed the war was finally behind him. Living alone in the Appalachian mountains, he spent his days repairing old hunting gear and sketching in his notebook—far removed from the battlefield that once defined him. But peace, for men like Ford, is always temporary.One rainy afternoon, a stranger arrives at his cabin: a young woman named Nina Kovač—the daughter of Emil Kovač, the Serbian soldier Ford had once battled and spared.
She comes not for revenge, but for help.Emil has been kidnapped while traveling in Eastern Europe. A new militia, calling itself "The Crimson Vow", has emerged from the ruins of old conflicts, led by a ruthless ex-mercenary known only as Vladan. His goal: to rewrite history by eliminating the last living witnesses of wartime atrocities—starting with Emil Kovac.
Haunted by the past and sensing a chance for redemption, Ford agrees to help Nina. Together, they travel into the heart of the Balkans, navigating crumbling cities, abandoned tunnels, and deadly forests. Ford teaches Nina to track, to move in silence, and to defend herself. She teaches him something too: that even in the shadow of violence, the next generation still has a chance to heal.As they draw closer to Vladan’s stronghold, they discover that he was once a child soldier, trained by Emil himself during the Yugoslav Wars. Vladan sees Kovač as both father and betrayer—blaming him for a life of bloodshed.The climax erupts in a snow-covered compound in the Carpathian Mountains. Ford, wounded but determined, faces off against Vladan in a brutal fight that mirrors the duel he once had with Emil. This time, however, he is not alone. Nina stands by him—not as a soldier, but as a daughter reclaiming her future.
They manage to rescue Emil, who is badly injured but alive. As father and daughter reunite, Ford steps away, letting go of the guilt he’s carried for years. For the first time, he feels something close to peace.Back in the mountains, Ford receives a letter from Nina. It reads: “You didn’t just save my father. You saved me too. Thank you for giving us another chance.”Ford looks out at the quiet forest. The killing season may never truly end—but perhaps, in some corners of the world, the healing season has begun.
