A thriving black market in food, medicine and luxury items has developed within the fleet, serving the rich and depriving the needy of essential goods.
When Pegasus's commanding officer, Commander Jack Fisk, is found brutally murdered in his private quarters surrounded by a cache of cigarettes, liquor and jewelry, Lt. Lee Adama is appointed chief investigator.
Lee discovers that Fisk was fronting a racketeering operation that ostensibly involves other prominent military and civilian authorities. The suspects include Quorum representative Tom Zarek and Vice President Gaius Baltar, who is angered by President Laura Roslin's suggestion that he resign, for the good of the office.
The investigation becomes personal for Lee when a gang of black-market thugs kidnaps Shevon - a prostitute with whom he has developed an intimate relationship - and her young daughter, Paya. The gangsters threaten to kill Shevon unless Lee abandons his investigation.
Intensifying his efforts, Lee tracks the gang's ringleader, Phelan, to the Prometheus, a renegade freighter packed with contraband. During a tense standoff, he brokers a Machiavellian deal with the criminals while gaining unsavory insights into human nature - including the true depth of his own depression and the burden of a guilt he has carried for far too long...
