St. Petersburg, Zurich, Shanghai, and Miami are the background for this extraordinary novel that takes place during the post-Soviet era. A large part of the Russian economy has criminal origins, and a number of former mafia heads have become the driving force behind many new business ventures. The end of the Cold War permits a new globalization of business, and international criminals have an unprecedented freedom to cross borders and to expand the range and scope of their operations.

While attending a conference in Russia, an American banker is lured by Chinese and Russian businessmen into participating in a lucrative financial scheme that promises to change the course of his life. During the conference, the American becomes charmed by a young Russian woman with ties to the mafia. As events unfold, the American soon finds himself the target of a powerful Chinese executive of a corporation that is ironically headquartered on Shanghai's Street of Eternal Happiness.