In this quick-hitting thriller set in Baltimore, during the waning years of the Cold War, Lussi Sim, a Norwegian physician, is the medical director of a newborn intensive care unit.

Lussi had practiced pediatrics near her parents in Oslo until her father suffered a stroke. Growing up, Lussi experienced chronic mental trauma in the self-assigned role of her mother's bodyguard. Ironically, her father's stroke removed the physical threat to her mother and enabled Lussi to pursue her long-suppressed goal to train as a newborn intensive care subspecialist in the United States.

An excellent physician, Lussi copes with the stress of treating sick infants by entering the "rescuer" role she adopted to protect her mother. However, her fight v. flight response to threat defaults to the fight mode and she frequently fails to control her anger when negotiating with hospital managers she believes value profit over optimal patient care.

Stumbling upon a deadly medical conspiracy, evolving from a US government-approved financial agreement between the CIA and the Saudi Royal family, Lussi must now use her well-honed fighting instincts to overcome lethal obstacles, rescue victims, and bring the perpetrators to justice.