Maxwell Gold is at the most dramatic inflection point in his life. A successful businessperson, he has been asked to run for mayor of Oldham, CT against a horribly flawed incumbent. A dedicated father, he has come to a time when his toddler son Joey is a wildly entertaining playmate. A loving husband, he has faced a test that has proven to him that he is more committed to his wife Annie than ever. Everything could be going Maxwell's way.

Or not. The incumbent's base is deeper than Maxwell's campaign imagined, and the current mayor is willing to resort to some nasty tricks to remain in office. Joey is having tantrums and acting more willfully than kids his age normally act. And Annie isn't finished testing Maxwell and is beginning to make it clear that she doesn't want him to pass the test.

As the summer begins on the most tumultuous year of Maxwell Gold's life, he has come to realize that he could have everything he's ever wanted . . . or he could wind up with nothing.