A veteran New York City Police Lieutenant's investigation of a woman's murder uncovers corruption in high places.
Detective Daniel Malone, a veteran cop who is called in to investigate the strange death of a woman named Sara Eisinger. Thinking at first it's a routine case, Malone soon discovers not only a bizarre murder, but perplexing clues in her apartment--including a hidden paper with an ambiguous inscription and a gold-plated key. Unable to let the case drop--despite the restrictions placed upon him by Inspector Nicolas Zambrano--Malone and his colleagues push ahead with an investigation that eventually leads them to a posh East Side club, a dockside shipping company, and finally , to an operation so sensitive and inflammatory that some people will kill to keep it suppressed.
