When Elder Darrow's friend Dan Burton, a Boston Homicide cop, dies trying to stop the robbery of a liquor store, Elder is bereft. But what appears to have been a random tragedy may have, in fact, been a contract murder. Mickey Barksdale, Boston's chief gangster, tries to enlist Elder to find out who killed Burton, but Elder resists until events force him to investigate. In the end, the quest may cost Elder his bar, The Esposito... not to mention his life.