When UC-San Diego Professor Marcus George discovers the body of an outspoken, overbearing colleague in a faculty office, he becomes entangled in a murder investigation and reluctantly finds himself playing amateur sleuth. His partner, attorney Bob Abramson, is coping with a family tragedy-and, as his 40th birthday approaches, facing personal demons as well. Winter combines the suspense of a murder with a profound observation of character, as Bob and Marcus face their most difficult time as a couple.