It is 1971. Nixon is in the White House, the war in Vietnam shows no sign of ending, and Corey Sifter, the young son of working-class parents, is befriended by the powerful Metarey family, whose patriarch is a kingmaker in the world of New York politics. Before long Corey is an aide to the great Senator Henry Bonwiller as he runs for the Democratic Presidential nomination. But as the campaign gains momentum, a dreadful crime is committed and Corey is forced to reconcile his part in a complex tangle of morality, politics, gratitude, love and loyalty.