Five South, begins with a series of surgical complications and deaths in a San Francisco university hospital, all associated with the orthopedic surgery department. The department has a multi-million dollar building proposal before the hospital board and the timing of the complications creates questions about the quality of the care. A young chief resident and his nurse girlfriend begin to investigate. They quickly draw in Dr. Raymond Stuart, a prominent surgeon who lost an eye in a major auto accident, no longer operates, but is a superb diagnostician. Assisted by a young pathologist and his partner, a San Francisco detective, Dr. Stuart and his team uncover the deadly truth. More than medicine is happening in Five South.

There are two separate and parallel worlds in modern American health care. The world of clinical medicine is almost unaware of the health care business world. Only by crossing into the business world can the physician/detectives solve the case.