T.M. Jefferson ("Thump"), a handsome African American man, joined a venerable investment firm in Baltimore five years ago as a junior analyst. Henrietta Kingman, a white partner in her fifties, took him on as her lover and protégé, rewarding him with promotions and bonuses. But when Thump falls in love with a young nurse and attempts to end the relationship with Kingman, she fights back with unbridled viciousness. Faced with losing everything he holds dear, Thump files a lawsuit claiming sexual harassment. The dramatic trial cracks the facade of wealth and privilege, exposing the ugly truth - and then some.