A phone call in the middle of the night brings Albuquerque Gazette Sports Editor Drew Gavin to the aid of his friend and reporter Curtis White, who has awoken beside a brutally murdered cheerleader. Unable to recall anything from the night before, Curtis swears he's innocent, and Drew believes him.

With Curtis behind bars, Drew begins his investigation of the Albuquerque Rattlers, a minor league basketball team on the verge of bankruptcy, owned by computer software tycoon Scott Cerf. Drew's inquiries land him on a twisting money trail that repeatedly dead-ends into the massive hands of Otis Edgewater, Cerf's personal bodyguard.

With his girlfriend considering a new job in Los Angeles, Drew struggles to stay focused amid his publisher's stern admonishments, a flirting informant, and Edgewater's determination to pull the trail out from under him. But the trail grows longer still, going far beyond a dead cheerleader and a failing basketball franchise.