When an illicit encounter with a beautiful prostitute changes the life of young John Marshall, he sets out on a personal quest for vengeance. Raised by a drunken father, John had seemed destined for life on a factory floor. Now, his wrath is directed at those who have what he does not-the wealthy and the powerful. His weapon is the most subtle of arts: seduction. His goal: to wheedle his way into the lives of the well-to-do. There, he will tear apart families, ruin lives and, finally, claw his way to the top of the heap. John thinks of his life as a "private war," and nothing will hold him back-not love, not compassion, not even God.