The novel opens with background information on tobacco trials and the importance of this one. The reader is introduced to Rohr and the plaintiff, and Cable and the defense. Also, several shadowy figures are introduced. Easter is mysterious from the start while it appears Fitch is engaging in illegal activities to engineer a verdict. Then a girl known as Marlee is revealed who is even more mysterious than Easter.

Fitch tries to manipulate the jury in several ways. He gives Lonnie Shaver a new job and convinces him that these lawsuits are horrible. The duprees are duped by fake FBI agents who threaten prison. It’s also planned to blackmail Rikki Coleman with her abortion in college. This all leads up to Fitch buying a verdict from Marlee for $10 million.

As Fitch digs deeper into Marlee’s past however, it’s revealed her parents died of lung cancer. Easter and Marlee then give the vote to the plaintiff and are able to make a killing on the stock market. Marlee then returns the ten million to Fitch but says they’ll always watch him.