Doctor Matthew Duncan, a noted internist in Dallas, Texas, has a thriving practice, including a few patients of some renown, and also teaches residents at the local hospital. He has a sterling professional reputation but carries personal scars from a disappointing divorce for which he entirely blames himself. His ex-wife and young son live in southern California, but Matt seldom reaches out to them, choosing, instead, a self-imposed isolation. The doctor's busy but rather staid existence is invaded by an interesting stranger who introduces himself at Matt's favorite bar. Matt is drawn to Adam, and they quickly become friends, but there is more to Adam than meets the eye. There is something both mysterious and vaguely familiar about him. The mystery deepens when Adam provides accurate information about key events before they happen. Then he tells the incredible story of a future cataclysm and makes a claim on Matt's life that is hard to accept. Adam lays in Matt's lap the responsibility for averting the tragedy to come---by an act both criminal and a violation of the Hippocratic oath.