As a prosecuting attorney Penn Cage sent hardened killers to death row. But it will be his job as mayor that will have him face his most dangerous threat. He rode into office on a tide of support for change, however his town has turned to casino gambling, and now five fantastical steamboats float on the river beside the old slave market. But one is not like the others. Rumor has it that this boat has a way to pull the big players from Las Vegas to its Mississippi backwater. When a friend of his is murdered, Penn sets out to solve the crime on his own, without the help of the corrupt local authorities.