15 years after the events of BLACK WATER RISING, Jay Porter is struggling to cope with catastrophic changes in his personal life and the disintegration of his environmental law practice. His victory against Cole Oil is still the crown jewel of his career, even if he hasn't yet seen a dime thanks to appeals. But time has taken its toll. Tired and restless, he's ready to quit. When a girl goes missing on Election Night in the neighbourhood of Pleasantville - a hamlet for upwardly-mobile blacks on the north side of Houston - Jay is deeply disturbed. The missing girl was a volunteer for one of the local mayoral candidates, and her disappearance complicates an already heated campaign.