February 6, 1978. A catastrophic nor'easter struck the city of New York. On that night, in a penthouse in the Upper West Side's stately Apelles, a crowd gathered for a wild party. And on that night, Mr. Albert Haynes Caldwell-- a partner emeritus at Swank, Brady & Plescher; Harvard class of '26; father of three; widower; atheist; and fiscal conservative-- hatched a plan to fake a medical emergency and toss himself into the Hudson River, where he would drown. The events of that night irrevocably altered many lives, but none more than Hazel Saltwater, age six. -- adapted from jacket