The story of one man's struggle with his responsibilities as a lawyer and with the appetite of his ego. Prominent New Orleans attorney Lawson Russell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) puts his name on a best seller he didn't write. However, the novel he stole was a factual account of a series of murders.

Walter Sparrow receives a book for his birthday from his wife, Agatha. The first words he reads changes his once placid existence into a whirlpool of psychological torture and mayhem. The book is a chilling murder mystery that seems to mirror Walter's life in dark and uncontrollable ways. The book's main character is a brooding detective named Fingerling who seems to copy Walter's own history. As the book comes to life, Walter becomes factuated by...