Claire Markham has a new job and an absent fiance. As the newest hire of the English Department at Oklahoma State University, she finds the job overwhelming. It's difficult to keep her mind on her work when her handsome fiance, an actor, is on location in Italy and his calls are growing less frequent. However, Claire has a more immediate problem. A colleague has been murdered and his missing briefcase is found hidden in her locked office. The cold-eyed police investigator has labeled her a "person of interest." Claire had means and an opportunity; all she lacks is a motive, and Captain Garrison is eager to establish one for her. To exonerate herself, Claire attempts to find the murderer on her own. Her search leads her into campus politics, departmental conflicts, faculty secrets, and the arms of the dead man's rugged son, as well as the hands of the killer.