The reclusive life of former homicide detective Brenda Corrino has suddenly leaped from post-traumatic stress disorder recovery to something much more interesting. Murder! Her ex-partner was investigating the bizarre murder of a college student when he inadvertently let his guard down and now, he remains comatose in a hospital. She investigates as she tries to come to terms with being raped and nearly murdered while working undercover two years earlier. While broadening her investigation, more former students from the same school are ending up dead. When consoling a young widow left behind by the killer, Brenda unearths the deep dark secret that the students have been hiding from her and everyone else outside their circle.