Finally home after weeks in the hospital following a near-fatal shooting, Officer David Kennison faces the dispiriting prospect of a long recovery period. However, rapidly unfolding crises draw him back to active duty prematurely—and place him into constant conflict with his frightened wife. First the Heron Lake Police Force is reduced to a dangerous low when a virulent flu epidemic cripples the town. During this time, a request from a local high school teacher brings David to the station in an unofficial capacity. While there, he overhears the dispatcher take a dangerous emergency call and soon learns that he’s the only officer available to respond. Then David receives a visit from Sheralyn Ames, a psychic artist whose sketches forewarn of imminent, life-threatening situations. When Sheralyn takes out her drawing pad, it’s a déjà vu that fills David with dread, a dread that quickly turns to panic as he recognizes the depicted victim—the boy who recently saved his life.