Dan Stein grew up in the 60's and became a federal prosecutor stationed in Miami Florida. The story alternates between Dan's coming of age experiences and his experiences battling organized crime during the era when the Colombians challenged traditional organized crime families for supremacy.
Dan's experiences as a teenager and during his college years foretold his later approach to destroying the mob. Despite religious parents who were the epitome of ethical behavior, Dan developed flexible ethics and morals, enabling him to conveniently manipulate others to achieve his ends.
His experiences with women were primarily superficial and sexual except for those few women he wanted but could never have. He also established a curious relationship with a fellow football player, who was prone to violence and excess. Dan craftily cleaned up his messes and, at the same time, achieved a masterful domination of this human weapon. Little did Dan know that this relationship would come back to haunt him as an adult.
Dan screwed up his college aspirations by his meaningless high school escapades, but was granted a second chance by a bizarre circumstance. His college roommate was a mysterious son of a mafia chieftain, who Dan tutored in exchange for room and board. An incredible turn of events changed Dan's life and set him on a course to destroy the mob.
During the same era when Dan became a prosecutor, Colombian narcotics suppliers challenged traditional organized crime for control over the narcotics trade by demonstrating unprecedented cruelty and depravity. During this duel between the Colombians and the Italian mob, a power struggle in traditional organized crime emerged, which involved Dan's old college roommate's father. Dan and his roommate became pawns in that struggle which led to devastating consequences.
When Dan began pursuing organized criminals, he used every opportunity to manipulate the system to achieve his ends. He finally found the vehicle for his ambitions, through a very carefully prepared infiltrator. Dan then became obsessed with working his way up to exact revenge on the mob's new capo d' capo. Blinded by his ultimate goals, Dan was severely compromised by his childhood friend.
The book ends with an undisclosed perpetrator, frustrating Dan's plans and resulting in an ending as ambiguous as Dan's morals.