A young woman's body is found horribly mutilated in Jackson Square in New Orleans, with no clue as to who killed her or why she was killed. A year later and a thousand miles away, a man's body is found in Rhode Island, mutilated in a similar way and with no clue as to the killer. The details of the two cases have fallen under the scrutiny of Retired Navy Commander Mike Gerard as part of a study involving Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome for the Veterans Administration. Before he can trace the connection between the two cases, a third person dies in Arizona with the same mutilation. With little help from law enforcement, Commander Gerard takes it on himself to determine why these people were killed with the same gruesome features. Puzzled over the link between the murders, he begins to receive taunting letters. The anonymous writer claims that Gerard already has enough information to know who the killer is, and when and where the next death is going to occur. With little time to spare, Gerard has to sort through the mysterious doublespeak in the letters to identify the killer and save the next victim.