Three young women are raped and murdered in Houghton, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is January and -21 degrees. A fourth victim is found.
The police arrest Andy, a neighbor, and he is charged with all four crimes. His DNA is found on the bodies and he confesses to D/Sgt Darryl "Dinty" Moore of the Michigan State Police.
Grettu Väyrynen, a young Finnish-American woman, drives a school bus mornings and afternoons to make ends meet, but she has graduated from law school and has passed the Bar. She is the only lawyer in the courthouse on the morning of a blizzard and is appointed to represent Andy, although she has never tried a case of any kind, civil or criminal.
Grettu is convinced she will be dismissed from the case soon, although Andy wants her to represent him, regardless of her lack of qualifications. Faced with the possibility of a hopeless case, Grettu, with the help of a 96-year old retired alcoholic lawyer and WWII jungle fighter, George, she must at least try to prepare some kind of defense.
She learns that Andy has a chromosomal condition called "XYY," the "super male," with an additional Y male chromosome. Some believe this is a "demon seed," causing men with XYY to commit unspeakable crimes. Both the Prosecutor and trial judge, who plainly dislikes Grettu and women lawyers, resist this novel legal argument, but Grettu-and Andy-have no other defense.
Action and suspense abound in this, the first of Grettu Väyrynen legal thrillers.