Nutcracker begins at the ballet but tells the story of a seemingly wholesome all-American family, whose tranquil life's surface erupted in shocking acts of avarice, theft and murder. The victim was Franklin Bradshaw, Mormon self-made millionaire, workaholic. The killer was Bradshaw's grandson, prep school student. The architect of the crime was said to be Frances Schreuder, Bradshaw's daughter, devoted patron of the ballet, who used her father's money to buy a prestigious place in New York's cultural elite and who came to view George Balanchine as her true "father."

Making extensive use of her exclusive access to certain materials and sources, Shana Alexander traces the intricate history of this crime from its genesis among the luxury high-rises of Manhattan to a bloody culmination in a dusty Salt Lake City warehouse. She follows the winding four-year police hunt, which began in procedural confusion and was carried out ultimately by smart, devoted - and lucky - detective work. She takes us behind the scenes of trials, their startling defenses and verdicts, and into the minds of a few people who carried family games too far.