A small Georgia town erupts in panic when a young college professor is found brutally mutilated in the local diner. But it`s only when town pediatrician and coroner Sara Linton does the autopsy that the full extent of the killer`s twisted work becomes clear. Sara`s ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, leads the investigation - a trail of terror that grows increasingly macabre when another local woman is found crucified a few days later. But he`s got more than a sadistic serial killer on his hands, for the county`s sole female detective, Lena Adams - the first victim`s sister - want to serve her own justice. But it is Sara who holds the key to finding the killer. A secret from her past could unmask the brilliantly malevolent or mean her death.