Quincy has to persuade a group of hijackers that the plane they, and their hostages, are on has been exposed to a deadly virus.

A big fire strikes at a hotel. The Coroner's Office is called in to deal with the fatalities. Most of the victims died from smoke inhalation rather than from the actual fire. Investigations prove it was arson and a suspect is quickly found. Quincy doesn't believe they have caught the right man though and helps out an insurance investigator, Jake Carter, look into it further.

A young boy, Tim, goes to do some welding at his workplace and ends up dying in an explosion. One of Asten's top field investigators, Arnold Chatham, thinks that it should not have happened. He discovers that Tim couldn't read and continues his investigation while Quincy tries to find out how someone who couldn't read managed to get through school.