Carlton Burton was just happy to be alive after having the worst year of his life. His marriage was crumbling; he was quickly burning himself out at trying to be the best homicide detective in the Tampa Police Department and he was shot in the line of duty. Fortunately, all that was behind him as his medical retirement from the police department had changed his life for the better. His wife came back and he and his former partner on the force had formed a successful detective agency. Life was good again until that fateful Labor Day weekend when his partner called with chilling news. A copycat killer had repeated a crime eerily similar to one they solved five years before and Carlton finds himself reliving the horror of the original murders. Once he starts to help the investigation, he soon realizes he can't handle all the pressures of such a high profile case. He is faced with a crisis of confidence that starts to affect his newfound happiness. He is beset with several set backs as the case progresses but gets some unexpected help from a beautiful newspaper reporter who knows as much about Carlton as she does about the crime. She convinces Carlton to let her work with him but he doesn't totally trust her, as she wants to be more than just a business partner. As the mystery unfolds the pressure increases and Carlton makes several errors of judgment. He is driving into a relationship with the reporter; he is nearly killed in a confrontation when he returns to the apartment building where was shot and becomes obsessed that his theory about killer is right. Carlton is put to the ultimate test as he comes closer to catching the killer but his resolve prove tougher any mystery.