A gifted architect, Philip Corta, has the opportunity of a lifetime-the design of the Eden Center, a major office/residential complex on New York's West Side. The project endures many setbacks brought on by an arrogant developer, corruption in City Hall, sabotage and murder by organized criminals, and recurring uncertainties about financing. Mafia-like figures try to sabotage the construction to profit from their "protection." A single-minded architect, Philip Corta, finds aesthetic compromise difficult and backers financing the project create other obstacles for the project. Anxiety and doubt simmer and invade relationships including the architect and his wife, Diane.Nevertheless, construction proceeds more or less on schedule until . . . .