奥斯丁 和父亲汤米 同为镇上的验尸官，某天晚上，刑警谢尔顿 送来了一具无名女尸，希望汤米和奥斯丁能够在天亮之前弄清楚她身上的秘密。奇怪的是，这具女尸身上没有任何的淤青或伤口，然而她的内脏和骨骼却伤痕累累，很显然生前遭到了残酷的虐待...

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

Two college roommates venture out to identify a fellow student, who is most likely to commit suicide as it will help them pass the semester.

Stênio, the nightshifter of a morgue, has the ability to communicate with the cadavers that are brought to him every night.