Forensic expert Kay Scarpetta planned to celebrate the coming New Year alone with her beloved niece Lucy. But a mysterious phone call changed her plans: Kay had to urgently go to an inactive US Navy base to witness the death underwater of journalist Ted Eddings. Soon a terrible death overtakes her young assistant Danny Webster. A few days later, the nuclear power plant at Old Point falls into the hands of terrorists. Kay will have to investigate this incredibly complex case and experience many tragic moments.