Bill Reed has not seen or spoken to his cousin John, an adult suffering from Down Syndrome, for four years, until he receives a cryptic and disturbing letter from the mentally disabled man. The letter, composed entirely of pasted-together numbers and crudely scribbled lines, makes no sense, but gives Reed a definite sense that something is very wrong at the private, isolated facility where John resides.

A former FBI agent who has recently lost his leg in a motorcycle accident, Reed has problems of his own. The last thing he needs right now is another person to look out for. Yet the more Reed tries to check on his cousin, the more resistance he encounters from the people who are supposed to be caring for John and the other residents of the Ullman Institute.

Reed smells trouble, and he's not about to give up. Despite his own disability, he vows to find out what the Institute is hiding--and to rescue his cousin before it's too late!