Amos Decker and his FBI partner Alex Jamison are visiting Decker's hometown of Burlington, Ohio, when he's approached by Meryl Hawkins — the first person Decker ever arrested for murder back when he was a young detective. A dozen years in prison have left Hawkins unrecognizably aged and terminally ill, but one thing hasn't changed: he maintains he never committed the murders. Could it be possible that Decker made a mistake all those years ago? Digging into the old case, Decker finds a startling connection to a new crime that he may be able to prevent, if only he can put the pieces together quickly enough.