Smart and sassy 1920s columnist Lanie Price gets caught in the crossfire when a gunman massacres patrons in a Harlem nightclub and kidnaps the lead singer. Still trembling in the aftermath, Price writes up the story for the next day's edition of her newspaper. Then a box arrives on her doorstep, containing grisly proof of the kidnapper's intent. Soon, Price is at the heart of negotiations that move from a prestigious and secretive Strivers' Row family to one of Harlem's most notorious underworld figures.

As the death count mounts, Price comes to realize that nothing is as it seems. Who is the Black Orchid and what is the truth behind the singer's disappearance? What does the kidnapper really want and what is he prepared to do to get it?