In one of the worst bridge disasters in American history, a runaway freighter rams the underpinnings of Tampa Bay's Sunshine Skyway during a morning squall, spilling a string of rush hour passengers to their deaths. For Charlene Gibbs, the sister of one of the victims, the event leads years later to her own fatal plunge from the reopened Skyway, an incident novice detective Adam Fraley witnesses by chance. Puzzled by the official findings, Fraley delves into the circumstances surrounding the death. His digging eventually uncovers a sinister link between the two tragedies and a cover-up initiated by a powerful figure in the community.