U.S. Marshal Marcus O'Malley has a lot on his mind. One of his sisters has just been diagnosed with cancer, and the case he's working on is getting tricky: a judge has been gunned down, and someone wants to kill the only woman who saw the murder. Marcus's heart gets a workout, too, as he finds himself charmed by the lovely speechwriter who witnessed the crime. Moreover, in a thoughtful subplot, he's shocked to learn that two of his sisters have turned to the church. Marcus himself was once a believer, but lost faith after his mother died.