Leslie Nugent, a New York Times investigative reporter, sees the premature failure of implanted hip joints in patients as a story worth chasing. She doesn't realize that this medical issue will evolve into a sordid tale of bribery and murder.

The hospital where the hip joint problem is first discovered purchases its medical supplies from the AllCare company. The arrangement between hospital and supplier is a lucrative monopoly for AllCare, made possible by secret and illegal payments to the hospital vice president for purchasing.

The person behind the monopoly is a wealthy business woman who has a well-concealed history of illicit business practices. She is determined to maintain the hospital-AllCare arrangement. Eliminating potential whistleblowers is deemed important to her as is maintaining a close eye on the tenacious investigative reporter.

Nugent develops a friendship with an aspiring actress not suspecting that their relationship will play an important role in the reporter's unraveling of the hospital-AllCare scheme.

Helped along by serendipity, Nugent begins to zero in on the central character in the criminal 'pay-to-play' arrangement. But the closer she gets to blowing the lid off the story, the more she endangers her own life.