In 1957, brilliant biologist Stuart Ressler sets out to crack the genetic code. Yet his efforts are sidetracked by other, more complex codes - social, moral, musical, and spiritual - as he falls in love with a member of his research team.

Years later, another young man and woman investigate a different mystery: why did the promising Ressler suddenly vanish from the world of science?

Strand by strand, these two love stories intertwine in a double helix of desire in an enthralling tale about new love and the mysteries of science.