When fatal gunshots ring out at a restaurant in Chicago, Ellie, an ER physician assistant, becomes the unwitting hero in a national tragedy. Forced to make an impossible choice, she saves the life of a stranger—and loses her husband all in the same breath.

The investigation takes a drastic turn when Ellie's haunting past is thrust into the relentless scrutiny of the media, leaving her ensnared in the twisted web of the broken American legal and medical systems. Ellie unravels in her immeasurable grief and anger, anchored only by the unlikely companionship of the man she saved at the diner, James.

Her journey unveils the painful reality of hidden wounds in a world determined to keep skeletons buried. As she learns to cope with this new reality, Ellie is dragged through a sensationalized trial where she stumbles upon a discovery that is hard to swallow: she has more in common with the gunman than she ever thought possible.