The novel begins with Dr. Marc Seidman in a coma after he is shot twice: once in the chest and once across his scalp. He does not recollect the shooting itself but wants to think that he thought of his daughter as he was shot. Before he awakens, he addresses the reader regarding how fundamentally fatherhood has changed him in the short span of six months. He ominously states that if his daughter needed protection, “I would lay down my life in a second. And truth be told, if push came to shove, I would lay down yours too” (2).

Marc awakens at St. Elizabeth Hospital and asks after his family. He realizes that he is in an intensive care unit (ICU), hooked up to an IV, with bandages on his head. Dr. Ruth Heller, a young surgeon, enters updaters Marc on his condition. Following her is Bob Regan, a detective with the Kasselton Police Department.

Regan interrupts Dr. Heller as she details Marc’s injuries (one bullet has ripped off his scalp and the other caused heavy internal bleeding). Regan claims “Time is of the essence” (4), and then proceeds to question Marc regarding his memories of the shooting.