Sophie and Otto Bentwood are a middle-aged, middle class, childless Brooklyn Heights couple trapped in a loveless marriage. He is an attorney, she a translator of books. Their existence is affected not only by their disintegrating relationship but by the threats of urban crime and vandalism that surround them everywhere they turn, leaving them feeling paranoid, scared, and desperately helpless.

In Toronto, Canada, a troubled police detective investigates fixed betting and corruption in the world of heavyweight boxing. He uncovers a plot by a crime boss to use computerised data to rig fights. Everything is resolved during an explosive finale, set during a world heavyweight championship bout