Ike Paponis, M.D. is a Portland, Oregon open-heart surgeon who is one of the cityas most prominent citizens. Together with his two friends, Alan Spandell, a probate attorney, and Martin Spencer M.D., the local medical examiner, they conceptualize andMoreIke Paponis, M.D. is a Portland, Oregon open-heart surgeon who is one of the cityas most prominent citizens. Together with his two friends, Alan Spandell, a probate attorney, and Martin Spencer M.D., the local medical examiner, they conceptualize and implement The Portland Fund.
This fund is meant to benefit local charities, but Ike sees the money as his own. The three also form a large corporation that operates private laboratories, and when this business falls into financial difficulty, Ike begins to use money from The Portland Fund to bail their business out of trouble. Needing a greater influx of capital, and knowing several of his patients who are leaving large portions of their estates to The Portland Fund, it isnat long before Ike is deliberately causing several of his open-heart procedures to fail.
Allan Spandell has arranged the estates, Ike Paponis does the killing, and Marty Spencer must cover the deeds. The ethical conflicts that arise form the basis for this medical thriller.