Sarah's father, Felix Decker, takes his position in society seriously. He refuses to accept his daughter's involvement with an Irish Catholic police detective. But when a member of his private club--the exclusive Knickerbocker--is murdered, Decker forms an uneasy alliance with Frank Malloy to solve the crime as discreetly as possible.

Malloy discovers that the deceased--Chilton Devries--was no gentleman. He's left behind his own unofficial club of sorts, populated by everyone who despised him. As Malloy and Sarah sort through the suspects, it becomes clear to her that her father is evaluating more than the detective's investigative abilities, and that, on a personal level, there is much more at stake for Malloy than discovering who revoked Devries' membership--permanently.