Michelle Burns, Philadelphia Police Lieutenant, like other female African American lieutenants without a squad to command, was buried behind a desk in homicide. That all changed when the third body was found in Fairmount Park's nature trails. Three young African American males mutilated and left with no clues. When the political heat hit the fan, Michelle is assigned to her first command to lead the newly formed task force to solve these murders, against the wishes of some members of the department. The investigation takes a personal turn, when Michelle, along with her dog Maxwell, finds the mutilated body of her dear friend and neighbor nestled in a group of trees along Forbidden Drive in Fairmount Park. Later she receives a cryptic note with a photograph of herself and Maxwell kneeling beside the body. With the city's eyes upon her task force, Michelle has to deal with the politics of the police department, an upcoming captain's exam, and a mother who wants her to change careers.