An escape artist plunges into the icy waters of Montreal's St. Lawrence River, chained and nailed into a coffin-and never breaks free.

After they dredge him from the waves, Dr. Hope Sze resuscitates him, saving his life. When he regains consciousness, but not his memory of the event, he hires Hope to deduce who sabotaged his act.

Even as she probes the case, and the strange world of magic and illusion, she must confront her own fears of death on the palliative care ward-and tackle the two toothsome men who can't wait for her to choose between them.