In 1905 Pittsburgh, Detective Milo Kachigan is trapped in the mire of corruption--forced to collect protection money from bars and brothels while yearning to do honest police work. The chance comes when he hears of a murder case in which the victim was an engineer for the Westinghouse company. Then he learns that his friend, social worker Helen Sorby, may be involved. In an atmosphere of mistrust and unrest, the quest for justice may be explosive.