It's been more than thirty years since New York City medical examiner Jack Stapleton's college graduation and almost as long since he's been in touch with former classmates Shawn Doherty and Kevin Murray. Once a highly regarded ophthalmologist, Jack's career took a dramatic turn after a tragic accident that destroyed his family. But that, too, is very much in the past: Jack has remarried—to long-time colleague and fellow medical examiner Laurie Montgomery— and is the father of a young child.  A post-mortem on a young college student who had recently been treated by a chiropractor, leads Jack to investigate alternative medicine. What makes some people step outside the medical establishment to seek care from practitioners of Eastern philosophies and even faith healers?  Jack's classmate Shawn Doherty is now a renowned archaeologist and biblical scholar at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. He has recently obtained permission for a final dig beneath Saint Peter's in Rome—despite a long-standing grudge against the Catholic Church—and has made a startling discovery with huge ecclesiastical and medical implications.  When Kevin Murray, now Bishop of the Archdiocese of New York, gets wind of Shawn’s findings, he’s desperate to keep them from the public. Kevin has strong political ambitions within the Church, but his association with Shawn threatens to undermine them. Kevin turns to his old friend Jack to help protect an explosive secret—one with the power to change live forever.