As a new year dawns in the capital city, dual scandals rock the Metropolitan Police Department--and Lieutenant Sam Holland is right in the middle of them. Her chief is catching heat for the way he handled a recent homicide investigation, and one of her detectives is accused of failing to disclose an earlier connection to the judge who decided his custody hearing.

When the custody fight turns deadly and her detective has a shaky alibi, Sam must defend two of her closest colleagues. All while her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, settles into his new office at the White House.

Nick begins to wonder if the president is using him for a political boost, and his worries mount over a complication in their adoption plans while Sam is being put through the wringer by the always-rabid DC press corps. As the evidence against her friend piles up, Sam suspects someone is gunning for her--and her team...