In a world before cell phones and computers, instinct is the only lifeline in this city. One wrong move can get you burned.In Buffalo, NY, a gritty rust belt city, known as Nickel city, private detective Mike Reed is haunted by his past. Mike and his sharp assistant, Alice, find themselves entangled in a web of deceit and danger. The economic decline has spawned far too many arson fires. Investigating the violent murder of their partner, Mitch, they dig deeper. The looming specter of the mob, a pyromaniac, and a serial killer conspire to drag them into a suffocating quagmire.Mike believes the arson investigation is linked to Mitch's demise. The FBI task force insists it was a robbery gone wrong. Alice's fingers fly across dusty ledgers uncovering whispers of local crime figure Spinelli. Their relentless pursuit pulls Maggie, a New York state fraud investigator, deeper into the mire. Caught in a vise between the FBI and New York City's crime bosses, Spinelli makes a deadly choice, unaware his henchmen conceal treacherous secrets.