At forty–one, Lance Herndon is at the top of his game. A self–made millionaire, he is the owner of ACCESS, Inc., a thriving information systems consulting company. As a prominent member of Atlanta's young, wealthy, and powerful set, he is surrounded by black Atlanta's "beautiful people" whom he wines and dines with finesse. But when he fails to show up for work one day, friends and family start worrying. Their worry soon turns to horror when he is found murdered in his own home, his head smashed in –– in what appears to be either an act of jealous–fueled rage or a seedier sex crime. Now, with a laundry list of ex–wives and lovers, competitors, critics and admirers in hand, detectives must break through the city's upper crust to discover his killer.