the trouble for kala chand, a doctoral student at syracuse university, begins when he witnesses bob hannan¡_s murder and stumbles upon money skimmed from a drug dealing, money laundering operation. as if that is not enough, while trying to learn more about hannan, kala finds himself drawn into an elaborate plan to defraud a bank via the internet. kala dodges mob hit men, a crooked homicide detective, and tyrannical faculty members at his school, even as he tries to complete his doctoral dissertation. when the mob hit men kill kala¡_s friends instead, he knows that the only way out of the mess is to return the money to the mob. kala concocts an elaborate plan to return the money and the drugs, and stay anonymous. as he struggles with his own conscience, does kala manage to stay anonymous, outwit the crooked cop and the mob hit men, graduate on time, and incidentally, get the girl?