When eighteen-year-old Gloria Summers dies unexpectedly after undergoing an elective tubal ligation at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital, the mortality review committee can't determine what went wrong.

But three more unexplained deaths of young women send the hospital administration reeling. Desperate measures ensue, and surgical privileges are suspended.

The administration hires renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cole Buchanan to investigate these suspicious deaths. After reviewing the cases and performing additional autopsies, Buchanan determines that the deaths were murders, but he is stymied by the perpetrators' method. Detroit Police Department investigator Detective Joe Braun joins Buchanan in the murder probe; this pairing of a forensic specialist with a seasoned murder investigator provides unique insight into the case.

Several possible suspects come to the forefront as the investigation focuses on the victims' backgrounds. Could the suspicious deaths be tied to the women's Catholic religion? Or is someone on the hospital staff to blame for the murders? Will Buchanan and Braun be able to unravel the mystery before more women die needlessly after surgery? As the investigation continues, friends become enemies, one involved physician commits suicide, and an old romance is rekindled within the police department.