When a series of mysterious deaths rocks New Orleans' high society, Detective Decker O'Day must unravel the connection between a murdered debutante, a missing news anchor, and an ambitious society darling with a deadly obsession for achieving her desires, before becoming the final target himself.

SYNOPSIS:

The story opens in New Orleans during a luxury ballroom event where Jenna Dupreaux, a beautiful but deeply disturbed young woman, deliberately poisons Alisha Bondurant, the Rex Carnival Queen, by slipping fentanyl into her drink. Alisha collapses and dies despite medical intervention. This sets in motion a complex web of murders and investigations that expose the dark underbelly of New Orleans society.

Detective Decker O'Day, a former boxer turned law enforcement officer, is assigned to investigate Alisha's death after pressure from her wealthy parents, Hunt and Aline Bondurant. As Decker begins his investigation, he encounters various characters from New Orleans' high society, including Crawford Stilton, a drug-using socialite, and his father Roe Stilton, a wealthy businessman with hidden Nazi connections.

Meanwhile, a parallel storyline develops involving a synagogue shooting. Two skinhead brothers, known as "Big" and "Little" Steiner, attack a temple, killing two people. This investigation, led by FBI Agent Bill Kearney, eventually intersects with Decker's case when connections to Roe Stilton emerge. The Steiner brothers are also responsible for dropping a concrete block from an overpass, killing an innocent woman.

The plot thickens when Sue Hunter, a news anchor at WWL where Jenna works, disappears. Jenna, who has been having an affair with pharmaceutical sales representative Darren Nakot, is revealed to be behind Hunter's disappearance and murder. Through flashbacks and ongoing events, we learn that Jenna is a calculating psychopath who eliminates anyone standing in her way of success and power.

Detective Gail Waites, working in sex crimes, becomes an important ally to Decker. Her investigation of rape cases near Loyola University leads to the discovery of secret Nazi meetings led by Penelope Thomas, an administrator at the university. This discovery helps connect the temple shooting to Roe Stilton, who is funding domestic terrorism activities.

The investigation takes a dramatic turn when Darren Nakot and Crawford Stilton are found dead in what appears to be a murder-suicide. However, Decker suspects Jenna is behind these deaths as well. The evidence suggests she manipulated the scene to look like a drug deal gone wrong, using the same gun that killed Sue Hunter.

As Decker closes in on Jenna, he deliberately provokes her by insulting her at a wine bar, hoping to make her act rashly. However, before this strategy can play out, Jenna is found murdered in her condo - shot twice in the chest and once behind the ear. The killer's identity remains initially unknown.

The story culminates in two significant revelations. First, the Steiner brothers are captured, and one of them provides evidence that leads to Roe Stilton's arrest for orchestrating the temple shooting and other hate crimes. Second, Jenna's mother, Suzanne Dupreaux, attempts to murder Decker in revenge for his role in exposing her daughter's crimes. However, Gail Waites, who had been watching over Decker, shoots and kills Suzanne, saving his life.

The final scene reveals that Aline Bondurant was responsible for Jenna's death, as she disposes of the murder weapon - a .22 caliber revolver - in Lake Pontchartrain. While listening to an audio recording of young Alisha's birthday party, she burns a photo of Jenna in her Rex ball gown, achieving her own form of justice for her daughter's murder.