This gritty and intriguing first novel by a Wall Street veteran reveals the underbelly of the world’s financial center as experienced by an idealistic young man.

When Midwesterner Nate Perkins completes his MBA and lands a job with Platt Brothers, a respected investment banking firm on Wall Street, it strikes him as a dream fulfilled. A rookie abounding with ambition, Nate’s traditional work ethic soon results in a chance transaction with Tantalus Fund, a powerful investment firm headed by the enigmatic Lucas Orr.

Bewitched by the brilliance and power of the Tantalus money machine, Nate participates in one successful investment play after another. Orr becomes his mentor, drawing Nate deeper into the lair of a controlling personality who hunts out human frailties and tramples the rules of fair play in his quest for victory and the spoils of financial success.

At the same time, Nate’s girlfriend, Dana, a budding research analyst at Nate's old firm, unknowingly finds herself on the opposite side of a deal that can make or break her career. Neither Nate nor Dana is aware that Orr is manipulating every move they make. Nor can they anticipate how Orr’s machinations will drive each of them to the brink of desperation.

As Nate begins to question Orr’s methods, he is pulled toward the story’s central mystery: who is Lucas Orr, and what motivates him? Nate is closing in on his answer just as Orr launches his most audacious investment foray, manipulating every lever at his disposal in an attempt to bring down one of America’s stock market icons. The resolution of this climactic conquest pits Nate against the mad genius of Lucas Orr, a struggle that one of them must lose.