Just a few minutes before, Teddy Haswell had been helping his friend Donald break into the math teacher's office. Now, limbs terminally akimbo, Teddy's body lies in a pool of blood in Jessup Quadrangle. And at the center of the investigation at the prestigious New Jersey Military Academy is young Donald.

Surely blame for Teddy's accidental death should not rest with him, Donald reasons. But how? Can people be convinced that Teddy took his own life? Can suspicion be cast on Stanley Wong, the Academy's only Asian cadet? And with Teddy gone, who can Donald enlist to help him avoid blame?

From New York real-estate moguls to Hong Kong triad bosses, Donald's web of lies soon spins further than he could have ever imagined.