An epidemic seemed imminent after several young athletes from Grand Forks, North Dakota collapsed and died because a blood vessel burst inside them. The search for why the vessels weakened brings together a conservative and cantankerous pathologist, a brilliant but promiscuous epidemiologist and a plucky female investigator from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the three professionals search for logical scientific answers, a crusty old janitor tries to convince them he knows the reason why the young people died. The clash of professional egos, a bribe, physical threats and a suspicious suicide hinder the investigation but the pathologist doggedly interviews people and sifts through scientific information until he discovers the astonishing 20-year-old incident that caused disease and death in this Midwestern community.