The trials and tribulations of the very large, colorful and imperfect Braverman family.

When emergencies occur, the trauma team from San Francisco City Hospital is first on the scene, traveling by land, by sea or by air to reach their victims in time. From the heights of the city's Transamerica Pyramid to the depths of the San Francisco Bay, these heroes must face the most extreme conditions to save lives, and give meaning to their own existence in the process.

After the murder of a police inspector, his widow discovers with horror that, in addition, her only daughter has been kidnapped. While driving in her search, the voice of the technical roadside assistance that comes through the intercom installed in her vehicle, reports that he is who has kidnapped the girl.

Dr. Temperance Brennan and her colleagues at the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab assist Special Agent Seeley Booth with murder investigations when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that the standard identification methods are useless.