Dr. Samantha Owens is starting over: new city, new man, new life. She's trying to put some distance between herself and the devastating loss of her husband and children -- but the old hurts leave scars. Before she has a chance to settle into her new position in Georgetown University's forensic pathology department, she's called to consult on three murders caused by an unknown pathogen in Metro Washington.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Samantha Owens autopsies the body of suicide victim Timothy Savage and discovers that he was murdered, but also finds DNA from a kidnapped child whose remains were recovered years earlier, forcing her to solve a twenty-year-old mystery.