Dr. Kay Scarpetta becomes both investigator and victim when she is contacted over the Internet by a murderer who is threatening to loose a deadly virus on the world.

Medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta is anticipating a quiet New Year's Eve when she is called to investigate the death of a reporter found in the murky waters of a Navy shipyard. Her findings about the cause of death sets the FBI onto the story the dead man was following, leading Scarpetta and everyone involved into the hands of a cult fanatic.