Bagged and discarded, the dismembered body of a woman is discovered in the grounds of an abandoned monastery. Dr. Temperance Brennan, Director of Forensic Anthropology for the province of Quebec, has been researching recent disappearances in the city. Soon she is convinced that a serial killer is at work. When no one else seems to care, her anger drives he to take matters into her own hands. But her determined probing has placed those closest to her in mortal danger.