There are several things about his favorite wife's funeral that troubles Dr. Lawrence A. Cooper (Coop). One, the service was religious, and his ex-wife was a devout agnostic. Two, it was a closed-casket funeral, even though allegedly the cause of death was a cerebral aneurysm-no maiming or disfiguring with that. And three, it was a rather generic service, no personal anecdotes; it could have been for anyone. Coop's suspicions are confirmed when he talks the gravedigger into letting him peek inside the coffin. Not only is it not his wife, but it is also obvious the deceased was murdered. Now Coop is determined to find out what has happened to Samantha Rose. After Coop enlists the help of his attorney and friend Ham Phister III, they embark on a mission to find the truth and in doing so put their own lives at risk.