Dr. Kay Scarpetta, after a mentally and physically traumatic experience with the killer Santon, is forced to leave her home in the hands of the police who are investigating the attack. Seeking refuge with an old friend, Anna Zenner, she soon discovers that Anna has been called to testify before a Grand Jury, which is investigating Scarpetta for murder. Kay knows she is the victim of a conspiracy and cannot trust anyone. Meanwhile, it appears that Santon has murdered a woman in New York before the series of killings in Virginia. When Scarpetta investigates this case with New York's prosecutor, Jaime Berger, proving his guilt is far from certain. As she follows the forensic clues to the real killer, she realizes that someone has been weaving a web for years with the purpose of trapping her. Who is this, and why are they so desperate to destroy her?