Beth Convey is a driven, brilliant 32-year-old Washington, D.C., international attorney who speaks several languages. One day, while arguing a multimillion-dollar court case, her chest erupts in pain, and she collapses.

When she awakens in the intensive care unit with a strong new heart, she surprises herself by thinking in Russian. Under doctor's orders, she must exercise regularly. But instead of the usual tennis or jogging, she takes up karate and excels at it. Odd, too, is her sudden taste for vodka. Far more mysterious and disturbing are her hideous dreams, which are filled with guns, death, and strangers shouting in Russian.

After learning about a phenomenon called cellular memory, in whic