Identical twins, separated at birth, find themselves on a collision course with survival as the prize. Brett Stark made a hasty decision in his youth to join the secret Society of Ahilists that promised untold wealth-but at what cost? Because of Brett's psychopathic personality resulting from the interaction of genetic and environmental factors, he's driven by his lack of any conscience, his sexual appetite, and his lack of empathy for those around him to use his power and wealth to finance crime and murder on the streets of Chicago. In order for Brett to beat the "dead by forty" promise he'd made to the Society, he must switch places with his twin brother. It won't be easy, though, as his brother is Detective Barry Farnsworth of the Chicago Police Department. A tapestry of psychology, suspense, romance and fantasy direct the plot to its dramatic and surprising conclusion.