Dan Ryder develops a reputation as being the most aggressive, hard-hitting regulator in the banking business, as he forces the banking giants to pay hundreds of millions in fines for their transgressions rather than have their operational licenses revoked.
Inadvertently, Ryder is caught up in the drama of a murder and must clear his name without destroying his boss's chance of winning the on-going gubernatorial election that is labeled a tossup as election day looms. Ryder is caught in a whirlwind at the climax to the story.