Crooked land developer Charles Tucker loathed Santa Cecilia County. After the county government prosecuted him for fraud, he swore vengeance. At his death, he left his fortune in a trust and required that every cent be spent in Santa Cecilia. He suspected that his wealth would cause misery, envy, loathing, and avarice. He was right. The spectacular trust fund creates a feeding frenzy among covetous contenders, from committed altruists to adept con artists. Expensive lawyers and their eager clients vie to garner the trust funds for their programs, from a woman's center to a junk science scam.
The intense turmoil opens the door on an inside view of big buck philanthropy and the human needs biz. Trustees, lawyers, claimants, and the hopeful recipients are swept up in an Olympian struggle for charitable funds, just as Tucker gleefully intended.
"The Golden Calf" is a delicious mix of cynicism, politics, and compassion as it plumbs the best and worst of human nature in the pursuit of charitable funds.