Alexander Volga, a distinguished billionaire entrepreneur, veils himself in respectability, hiding a murky lineage, a uniquely devious and sharp mind, and literally millions of destroyed lives. Sensing storm clouds of retribution approaching, Alexander prepares for his last, best trick, investing his enormous fortune in a mind-bending attempt to live after death.

An unexplainable force draws Harriet O'Keefe to Alexander. She's the first female head of a new drug enforcement agency, CRUNCH (Crime and Racketeering Unit of Narcotics-Cocaine and Heroin). Harriet, whose job is to track down the big chieftains of the cocaine and heroin world-the "Merchants of Powder"-finds herself dangerously close to falling for Alexander's lure, the most wanted and insidious man against whom she's ever matched wits.

With tension mounting from all sides, and uncertain of where loyalty remains, Alexander, for the first time, sets a Machiavellian plan in motion unsure of the evil outcome. But his enemies better check their life-insurance policies, and Harriet O'Keefe, her heart.