When a maverick principal comes in with a student-centered agenda, there's no more business as usual at Lincoln High School. And killing the principal is just the beginning...

When someone sets fire to Lincoln High and kills the new principal, chaos threatens to overtake the urban school. Assistant Principal Sally Pearce, originally hired to help the deceased principal revamp the culture, vows to carry on the mission. In so doing, she locks horns with fellow assistant principal, Wally Welburton, and gets caught up in gang threats, racial tensions, grievances, sexual harassment complaints, and murder.

Sally never dreamed she'd be faced with solving a mystery and returning the school to order. The odds are against her-a woman in a man's job, a minority in a tough position. Her strong moral compass and commitment to students bolster her as she meets challenge after challenge. When a second murder happens on campus, Sally realizes she's trapped in a cycle of violence that must be stopped-now.