Paul Madriani has ample reason to suspect that he's representing a guilty man. Dr. David Crone, a respected medical researcher and principal in mapping the human genome, is charged with the murder of a young colleague: twenty-six-year-old Kalista Jordan, an African American research physician whose dismembered body was found in a nearby bay. Forensic evidence links her murder with items discovered in Crone's garage. Madriani takes Crone's case, but his defense is hindered by the secrecy surrounding Crone's current research. As the trial unfolds, a scandal from Crone's past, involving his controversial use of genetic racial profiling, is revived. The murdered woman had filed charges of sexual harassment against Crone, and taken secret documents from his files. Paul is left to try to piece together a defense while Crone and his colleagues are hiding parts of the puzzle. When a key witness for the prosecution ends up dead, leaving an incriminating note behind, Crone's acquittal at trial is all but assured. Yet Paul is left with nagging questions concerning his client, doubts that are answered with a stunning revelation and a shattering climax.