As their financial security, dreams and peace of mind became victims of the crisis in corporate responsibility, friends of investment banker, Wendy Stevens, sought her help in understanding what was happening and who to trust. Try as she might, she was at a loss to find a believable cause or solution to the crisis. In frustration she telephoned her friend, retired financial officer, Sam McAllen. Over dinner in Chicago's suburbs, Sam shared insights into the real cause of the continuing corporate crisis. He helped Wendy identify the vested interests that were abusing Shareowners' money, and he helped her to recognize why the populist ideas of "greedy people doing bad things" weren't the real cause of the crisis. Sam then suggested the grand deception at the heart of the corporate crisis... Wendy was astonished... It was so obvious.
Over breakfast the next morning, they explored a national solution to the corporate crisis as well as a "quick fix" that Wendy's friends could personally use until the national solution was implemented.

When they parted, Wendy knew she had answers that would help her friends regain their confidence in stocks and perhaps some of their lost financial security.