Who killed Kent Hallstrom, the charming, and popular conductor of the San Francisco Symphony? His body is discovered on stage at Davies Symphony Hall, shot once in the back of the head, execution-style, and macabrely arranged to make it look as if he was posing for an album cover. The chairs and music stands have also been arranged to form a mysterious pattern or symbol. Was this a professional hit or a ritual murder? Or, as later clues suggest, is the conductor's murder the mere "overture," of a serial killer? Discovering the truth is the job of Lieutenant Alex Levy, San Francisco's top homicide detective, whose investigation leads him to a United States Senator, a Silicon Valley titan, and ultimately to the dark, labyrinthine secrets of the dead maestro's life. No one, it seems, is above suspicion, including the conductor's widow, the entire symphony orchestra, and a host of others. What the investigation ultimately reveals will shock San Francisco, reverberate across the world, and forever change a multitude of lives, including that of the investigator himself.