Architectural firm H.D. Smalley International is coerced into laundering money by a company named Ampersand Limited. The money comes from the sale of industrial secrets. When nine Smalley employees are killed on a company boat ride in Key West, architect Arthur Flemming, who had the good fortune to leave the ill-fated party before the ride, teams up with Maureen O'Toole, head of security for computer giant IEI, to track the killers and identify Ampersand's diabolical CEO. The perilous journey, fraught with high drama takes them from Boston to Florida and then to Rome. Along the way they fall gloriously in love. With a twist, justice triumphs in the end!