Charlie Marder, a World War II veteran and popular academic, is an unlikely Congressman. Thrust into office by his family ties after his predecessor died mysteriously, Charlie is struggling to navigate the dangerous waters of 1950s Washington, DC, alongside his young wife Margaret, a zoologist with ambitions of her own.

Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful political leaders and deal makers (such as President Dwight Eisenhower, Vice President Richard Nixon, Senator John F. Kennedy, and Roy Cohn), a mysterious fatal car accident thrusts Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a plot that could change the course of history.

When Charlie discovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of governance, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career...but for his life.