Atlanta, Georgia - a racially mixed late-century boom town full of fresh wealth, avid speculators and worldy-wise politicians. Networks of illegal Asian immigrants criss-crossing the continent, daily life behind bars, shady real estate syndicates, cast-off first wives of the corporate elite, and the racially charged politics of college sports all figure.
The protagonist is Charles Croker, once a college football star, now a late-middle-aged real estate entrepreneur turned conglomerate king, whose expansionist ambitions have hit up against reality. Charlie has a 28,000-acre quail-shooting plantation, a young and demanding second wife - and a half empty office tower with a staggering debt. When star running back Fareek Fenon - the pride of Atlanta's grimmest slums - is accused of raping an Atlanta blueblood's daughter, the city's delicate racial balance is shattered overnight.
