Someone calls a famous writer with threats, and after a while she is found murdered in her own home. The situation is complicated by the disappearance of a manuscript that could shed light on the crime. Kay Scarpetta, Richmond's chief medical examiner, joins the investigation. Gradually, one after another, people from the writer’s inner circle begin to die, and Kay herself becomes the new target of the pursuer. She has only one thing left to do - solve the case and catch the killer before he gets to her.