Dace Lamoureux was the epitome of a male heir and for whom the term fortunate son was certainly appropriate. He was the late-life child of Senator Allard and Elizabeth Lamoureux and the last chance at the continuation of an unbroken dynasty spanning more than two centuries of American history for the rich and powerful political family. On February 14, 1998, Dace turned twenty-one and thus became a man in the eyes of his father and the world. When Dace's longtime girlfriend and soon-to-be fiance, Sarah Avidago, is killed in an automobile accident later that night, he learns quickly what it means to shoulder the responsibilities of being a Lamoureux man. Dace rebels, and together with lifelong friend Dave Saunders, embarks upon a journey that quickly becomes an exploration of life which tests the limits of friendship. In a Catholic Girl's High School outside of New Orleans, best friends Ashley Monreale and Veronica Broussard begin a similar journey. The time is ten days before Mardi Gras, the conclusion of the yearly Carnival celebration and this year, the girls have a plan to attend the party. New Orleans Private Detective William Langdon and his wife, Sandy, take some time away to celebrate an interesting twist in their lives; traveling to South Padre Island - the scene of the crime, as William refers to it - for several days of rest and relaxation when William is hired for a simple case and finds himself swept into the growing maelstrom. What none of them realize is they have all been irrevocably set upon a collision course which will change each of their lives forever when a young girl is found raped and beaten on the banks of the Mississippi River in the city of New Orleans on the morning after Mardi Gras. It's a case which will take William a decade to fully resolve, and a lifetime to forget.