Twenty years have passed since forensic medical examiner Kay Scarpetta joined the Air Force to help pay for med school. Her time in service scored an exclusive training fellowship at the Dover Air Force Base and recently propelled her into her new position as the chief of the high-tech Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusetts. However, when Scarpetta faces the toughest case of her career, she is forced to put both her reputation and career is put on the line.