New York City homicide detective Vincent LaMarca has forged a long and
distinguished career in law enforcement, making a name for himself as a
man intensely committed to his work. But on his latest case, the stakes are
higher for Vincent--the suspect he's investigating is his own son. He and
Joey have been painfully estranged ever since Vincent divorced his wife and
left the decaying boardwalks of Long Beach, Long Island for the anonymity of
Manhattan and a successful career with the NYPD. He lives his life in
solitude, keeping his girlfriend at arm's length; the closest relationship he
maintains is with his partner, Reg--and Vincent makes sure that stops at the
precinct door. As long as Vincent lives in the protection of the present, he
doesn't have to deal with the pain of his past--or his sorrow over his broken
relationship with Joey. But this murder investigation is drawing Vincent home
to Long Beach, the self-proclaimed City by the Sea, where the past has
been
waiting for him to return. The agonizing memory that has tortured him all his
life--the death of his father, a convicted murderer who was executed when
Vincent was just a boy--still plagues him. In the course of the investigation,
he discovers that his own unresolved pain and failures as a father have
deeply influenced Joey's life, and now his 18-month-old grandson may be
fated to follow their self-destructive paths.