When the multi-billion-pound takeover of Provident Bank is sensationally announced, life will never again be the same for many influential players in the City. A star equities dealer has just bought a million soaring Provident shares - and others wonder how he does it. A London Stock Exchange investigator begins his work. A leading research analyst speaks her mind to the media. A finance director celebrates with a visit to a discreet Docklands townhouse. A lucrative yet bizarre lifestyle is suddenly in jeopardy. Shortly afterwards, DI Ted Hammond of the metropolitan police discovers a bloated body in the Thames and, unaware of the ultimate consequences, explores a complex web of inter-connected lives in his search for a ruthless killer.