"New York Globe reporter Billy Burke is down on his luck - an unfortunate "misunderstanding" with New York's Finest has landed him in jail overnight, the wife and daughter he loves are no longer part of his life, and his mercurial city editor wants his head on a platter. But things start to look up when Billy is handed the story of his career: A dying child has been denied life-sustaining heart surgery because his impoverished mother lacks the money and the insurance to pay for it.

It is a classic tale of human indifference, the kind of story that wins circulation wars and Pulitzer prizes. But in the world of post-Watergate journalism, telling the story of a needy child is no longer enough. Billy Burke must also find villains to pillory if his newspaper is to win the prizes it covets. And he must do it quickly, before his editors lose sight of the innocent child whose life hangs in the balance."--BOOK JACKET.