Terry McCaleb's specialty was serial murder - until a heart condition forced the FBI agent into early retirement. Only a donor organ could save him. He wants to put excitement behind him and is striving for a quiet life, moving onto his sailboat in the Los Angeles harbor at San Pedro Bay. There, he repeatedly receives unannounced visitors: people seeking help who have read about his remarkable successes in the newspaper. He tells them all the same thing: he has no badge, can't even drive anymore - what good is he as a private detective? But Graciela Rivers doesn't give up: her sister Gloria Torres was murdered a few weeks ago, the perpetrator has left no trace, and the LAPD is not pursuing the investigation with the necessary urgency. McCaleb wants to decline, but Rivers has a compelling argument: the new heart in his chest belonged to Gloria.