Geneva Settle was investigating the life of her ancestor, Charles Singleton, a former-slave turned New York farmer, when she narrowly escaped an attack. Several attempts later, and after a string of rabbit trails, Rhyme and Sachs discover that Singleton had been framed for a theft he didn't commit so a prominent banker could gain possession of his Manhattan farm. Afraid that Geneva would discover this fact, an executive in the bank hired two hit-men to kill Geneva.

The plot was ridiculous. A bank executive wouldn't have to pay reparations out of his own pocket for something his bank did 140 years earlier, and he certainly wouldn't hire hit-men to kill a high-school girl to keep her from finding out. The layers of the plot, with one threat eliminated only to "surprisingly" reveal another, got old quickly — even for Deaver who kept introducing and wiping-out suspects with careless dispatch.