When a bomb goes off in a Toronto Jewish school, John Webster, a Daily Globe reporter and former war correspondent, is told he is the only man for the job. Against his own better judgement, John investigates the horrific death of a teacher and six students killed in the blast. But in doing so he relives the past in his nightmares, when he witnessed horrible suicide bombs in Iraq. John searches for witnesses in a hospital and meets one of the victims, Lila Neuhoff, who was severally disfigured by the blast. They are drawn together by pain and suffering as well as their scars -both physical and mentally. They decide to join forces to track down the bomber and the shadowy organization behind him. At first, a local terrorist group takes responsibility and the police seem satisfied. But John and Lila delve deep into the life of the victims and find a sinister past that may point to an alternative motive.

The bombing takes an emotional toll on John and Lila as they become more connected and involved. Even when John is told to go home at the risk of another bombing, he cannot stop until he brings those responsible to justice. Their search takes them to the infamous Sing Sing prison, a small remote army town, and to a sex club in Montreal. Along the way they find things aren't as they seem. The plot is more intricate than John ever imagined and he must stop those responsible before more people are massacred.