Dr. Ludlow Fein, Psychoanalyst is suddenly faced with a madman targeting his family and his patients. Threats leveled at his wife Clare, strange messages left in his waiting room, meaningless night calls, and the murder of some of his patients propels him toward the realization that he will finally have to confront death.
We are able to see into the minds of both the madman; what he thinks, his battle with evil voices driving him to murder, and the conflicts of the analyst as he confronts his patients, and his uncivilized rage at the threat to his life.
Steve Fein, his Brother, is a New York City Homicide Detective assigned to the search for a serial killer targeting young women who are found clutching a Queen Chess piece, and papers with a puzzling code. The nature of the murders leads Steve to consult his brother as an expert on pathology, and they find that the messages left with the dead women resemble one found in Ludlow’s waiting room, and point to the Queen Sacrifice, a desperate move in chess. It is not clear what this means to the madman, Simon Sawyer, but it awakens in Ludlow a memory of how he had failed a young boy many years ago.
The tension builds as the madman’s calls increase. He becomes more brazen in his attacks, and Ludlow is nearly killed while following a suspect. The conflict finally leads to a deadly meeting between the madman, and the Psychoanalyst.
