Susan Wheeler is a surgeon at modern Boston Memorial Hospital like Dr. Mark Bellows who lives with her when fatigue does not lead them to short breaks. One day, while being scraped, Nancy Freenly, Susan's 28-year-old friend, falls into a deep coma and dies after a few days. Susan, not very convinced of the explanations offered by the group of anesthesiologists, begins investigations that slowly reveal to her to be a dozen similar cases, all related to the operating chamber N. 8 and all concluded with the transfer of alleged "comatoses" to the Jefferson Institute. Worker Kelly, guilty of having indicated the key to the conspiracy to the doctor, is killed. Susan, initially opposed by Mark, suffers numerous attacks and, having entered the Jefferson Institute,realizes that the victims are criminally caused by international trafficking in human organs.