TV reporter Corlis McCullough's investigation of a century-old mystery involving spectacular 19th-century buildings under the threat of the wrecker's ball brings her back into the orbit of her old college nemesis King Duvallon. But now they're mature and companionable, and King shows Corlis a fascinating, hidden side of New Orleans society. Then she begins to be pulled back into the past where corruption, violence, and greed mirror the events of the current day.