2030. The Moralist party is in power, buoyed by the promise to end death. Chronic care specialist Patricia Jewett deals daily with the result: her ward is packed with technologically dependent patients. When a colleague ends up paralysed and nearly brain-dead, Jewett is forced to keep him alive - while knowing his wishes to terminate life support. Then a murder occurs, and Jewett, the only witness, is also the prime suspect.