Ex-cop Jack Carpenter is the type of guy criminals avoid, so he's surprised to receive a summons from Florida state prison's death row. Staving off his rendezvous with Old Sparky one appeal at a time, notorious serial killer Abb Smith wants Carpenter to find his grandson. Even stranger, the case involves Heather Rinker, a childhood friend of Jack's daughter. After making some bad choices in her short life, Heather now desperately needs Jack's help to save both herself and her young son from a murderer's grasp.