As the Washington D.C. area prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July, a mob of malcontents assembles along the George Washington Parkway running adjacent the Potomac River from the south end of Old Town Alexandria to the circle at Mount Vernon.
As the mob assembles, attorney Mo Katz is investigating the mysterious death of John "Jack" Smith (alias The Jack of Hearts) at River Pointe, a historic mansion located along the parkway. Smith, a former CIA spook, had just been released from the penitentiary after serving time for the murder of his ex-wife.
Katz, who played a role in putting Smith behind bars, now seeks to solve the questionable circumstances behind Smith's death and determine whether Smith died by suicide or murder.
Reports surface that the mob moving down the parkway is planning to assassinate U.S. Senator Abe Lowenstein, who is scheduled to give a Fourth of July speech at the circle. Abe Lowenstein, an unabashed liberal, is impersonating George Washington during the 250th celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
In response to the reports of an attempted assassination, patriots from nearby neighborhoods rush to strategic points along the parkway to stop the angry mob.
Interactions between the two groups take place at the famous stone bridge, the tunnel at Ft. Hunt Park, and the knoll at Cedar Ridge.
The mayhem that unfolds at the circle results in the venue being renamed Patriots Circle.
With assistance from an entourage of crime busters, Mo Katz discovers the link between the death of the King of Hearts and the assault along the parkway.
