President Tim Connors is slipping in the polls, and his chances for re-election are fading fast. His Chief of Staff, Arthur Locke, blames the abrasive, feminist First Lady, Rachel Connors. Would a handsome, grieving widower be more likely to win? When his plot to assassinate Rachel goes wrong, Locke has set in motion a chain of events that could ultimately give the presidency to him. Washington is full of characters, from a randy Vice-President Quinn, whose trysts with underage girls and Senate wives threatens the entire administration, to Harvey Combs, the slovenly head of the Democratic National Committee. Just what is that white powder on his lapels? Add an aide whose overwhelming debts make him willing to do anything for money, and a hired killer, Vincent Chambers, who is desperate to earn enough cash to give him a way out of the South American jungle. He tells Locke, "Killing the President is easy. Getting away with it is the hard part." Secret Service Special Agent Jason Hall, the FBI, the CIA, and an underestimated local police chief will have to scramble to unravel the clues before the next murder takes place.