Hammond Cross is determined to be the city's next district attorney. Prosecuting the sensational murder of real estate magnate Lute Pettijohn could be his ticket into office. Yet while Hammond anticipates his success, someone near him is plotting his downfall ... Steffi Mundell, colleague, ex-lover and rival for the DA's office ... Rory Smilow, homicide detective and Hammond's avowed enemy ... Lute's widow, Davee, Hammond's lifelong friend ... and Hammond's prime suspect, the mysterious woman who shares the secret that would be fatal to Hammond's ambitions. All clues point to her guilt. Yet she holds in reserve the perfect alibi -- Hammond Cross.