Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a renowned forensic pathologist, leaves her practice in South Carolina to take on a challenging assignment in New York City. The NYPD requests her expertise to examine an injured patient in a psychiatric ward. The patient, Oscar Bane, is handcuffed and chained, having specifically asked for Scarpetta. Upon her examination, Bane begins to recount a bizarre tale: he claims his injuries were sustained during a murder he did not commit. As Scarpetta delves deeper, she faces the chilling possibility that Bane may be the target of a stalker, and that more violent deaths are imminent.