Penn Cage was elected mayor of Natchez, Mississippi - the hometown he returned to after the death of his wife - on a tide of support for change. Two years into his term, casino gambling has proved a sure bet for bringing new jobs and fresh money to this fading jewel of the Old South. But deep inside the Magnolia Queen, a fantastical repurposed steamboat, a depraved hidden world draws high-stakes players with money to burn on their unquenchable taste for blood sport and the dark vices that go with it. When an old high school friend hands him blood-chilling evidence, Penn alone must beat the odds tracking a sophisticated killer who counters his every move, placing those nearest to him - including his young daughter, his renowned physician father, and a lover from the past - in grave danger, and all at the risk of jeopardizing forever the town he loves.