P.I. Leonid McGill isn’t usually one to refuse a case. But when Hiram Stent, a man down on his luck, begs him to find a cousin who is about to inherit millions of dollars, he senses something fishy. His instincts prove right: The night after he turns Hiram away, Hiram is found dead and Leonid’s office is broken into. Feeling partly responsible for this bizarre turn of events, Leonid is forced to open an investigation that will pull him into the lurid history of an old-money New York family.

Leonid’s personal life is no less troubling. As his wife recovers in an uptown sanatorium from a suicide attempt, his mistress’s conscience kicks in. To further complicate matters, the stunning Marella Herzog, as irresistible as she is dangerous, walks into his life --- the perfect wrong woman at just the right time.