After setting an appointment with a doctor out of town who supposedly introduce to the medical world a profound experimental
spinal surgery to help quadriplegic people such as Lincoln Rhyme, he finds himself waiting in line in the hospital with his aid Thom and lover and police officer Amelia Sachs. Amelia Sachs still hopes to change Lincoln's mind as the operation has higher percentage of risks. Her thoughts were interrupted when
Sheriff approaches them and asks for their help with a local case of kidnap and possible rape. They suspected that the culprit was an orphaned boy Garret, also called "Insect boy" with his huge interest with the insects. This boy has a record of assault with the use of hornet's net thrown to a woman. The woman had a heart attack after 137 stings from the hornet. And now Mary Beth was kidnapped and so was Lydia who was kidnapped at the same place the former was taken. A deputy was
killed by a hidden hornet's nest while in pursuit of Garret. Being unfamiliar with the terrain, Lincoln reluctantly agreed to help with the case. With low access to high technology, Rhyme helped Amelia Sachs who acts as Lincoln's hands and feet in the field, to track down Garret through false traps and eventually caught him.
Still unable to find Mary Beth, Sachs questioned Garret using a method called Empty Chair a procedure to attain knowledge by letting the patient talk to the empty chair visualizing someone is sitting there. Garret revealed that he is only saving Mary Beth from someone he describes as a man with tan overall. Sachs believed in him though the others didn't. After making up her mind that she is doing the right thing, Sachs breaks Garret free from jail in hopes of searching for Mary Beth.
Upon learning about Sach's actions, Lincoln tracks her down with the police. As the encouter approaches, there was a shot out and Sachs unintentionally killed one of the police. Distaught, Sachs is now being hunted for murder. After arriving at Garret's hut, he reveals to Sachs that there is no man in tan overall though Garret still insist that he meant Mary Beth no harm. A small group of police along with Rhyme and his aide eventually found the boy's hideout. They were caught in a shoot out with a group of gun slinging nuts who were eyeing for the $2000 reward money Mary Beth's mother has posted out for the return of her daughter. They shot alot of deputies but in the end was killed by Sachs and one of the deputies,Lucy. Later, they found Thom was shot in the hut. Back in the headquarters, Sachs and Garret is locked up in jail while Thom is in the hospital. Trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle, Rhyme confides with the sheriff discussing about the murders in town and how somehow linked with local businessman who manufactures illegal pesticides. He believes that somebody in the system is getting paid while families are being killed to keep their mouths shut. One of the families who are killed are Garret's. Apparently released in the media that Garret's families were killed in a car accident the real story was the businessman was actually trying to buy their house so that he could have easy access of illegal pesticideds delivered up the river. Garret's parents refuse the offer so they were disposed of. Revering that they were alone, the sheriff confess that he was one of the authorities being paid by the businessman and he tried to kill Rhyme with a sample of harmful pesticide they were analysing. Murder was foiled when Lucy jumps inside the room arresting the Sheriff, apparantly this was a setup and she was listening behind the door all along.
Garret is freed as Mary-Beth drops the charges knowing that Garret kidnap her to protect her. Meanwhile Sachs was in court facing 5 years imprisonment for the deputy she shot. She was about to be sentenced when Lincoln barges in holdihe deputy killed to be one with sheriff being paid for murder of innocent people. She is freed. After rescheduling with the spinal surgeon, Lincoln was being wheeled by Lydia, a nurse in the school. Inside the room, Lydia tries to kill Lincoln by stopping his oxygen flow luckily Sachs steps inside in time to save him by realizing that Lydia is not a neurosurgeon and something is wrong. The story concluded with Thom surviving the shot. Lucy is adopting Garret and they are now burying the remains of Garret's family. Rhyme didn't undergo surgery and is back on the ventilator.