After a mysterious fatal car accident kills his predecessor, Congressman Charlie Marder struggles to navigate the dangerous waters of 1950s Washington, D.C., where he finds an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a conspiracy at the highest levels of the government.

In 1950s Washington, little is as it seems. Charlie Marder, World War II veteran and academic, was thrust into office by his power-broker father's connections. As a congressman, Charlie is determined to use his new position for good, but is confronted by a world in the throes of McCarthyism, where no one trusts anyone. Soon he is questioning his own ethical compass and the morality of men he admires, including his father. Learning about the circumstances of his predecessor's death, Charlie and his wife Margaret are plunged into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a conspiracy that could change the course of history.