Charles Barlow was used to his routine detective work when a woman entered his office and made his life very complicated. She suspected her husband had many extracurricular adventures, and pressed Charles to check him out. That led to his connecting with many politicians who tried to line their pockets with ill-gotten gains by selling military items to unscrupulous entities all over the world. The possible sale of an AI device which allowed the transfer of its information to humans became the central part of a the story. Certain members of the political elite committed murder to try to protect their devious schemes and their own freedom. Patriotic individuals revealed secrets to the authorities to help bring the culprits to justice. The corruption in Washington seeped into every facet of life to the detriment of all of its citizens.