Brilliant private pathologist Dr Beaumont Rosewood uses his sophisticated lab to perform autopsies for the Miami Police Department, uncovering clues its staff couldn't see. Rosewood's partner-in-crime is tough-as-nails Detective Villa, who is both impressed with Rosewood's incredible abilities and annoyed by his incessant optimism. Rosewood's positive outlook and desire to live life to the fullest is based on a personal struggle with an array of medical issues, and the victims he encounters whose lives were abruptly shortened.