Hood investigates when a woman's frozen body is discovered on a hot California beach and shows no signs of thawing. The investigation reveals that the victim had a terminal blood disease, but it had nothing to do with her death. Later, another person with a fatal illness is found frozen in an office building. Hood learns that both victims may be linked to a foundation that promises people immortality.

Hood travels to Oklahoma to investigate why some college students are dying of the bends, a condition normally associated with scuba divers, and discovers an enormous medical cover-up on campus.