City Hall

The city’s mayor, publicly charismatic but entangled in a scheme to protect the powerful. He engineers political arrangements that shield allies, yet he admires Deputy Mayor Calhoun’s integrity. His resignation at the height of the scandal underscores a belief that leadership requires accountability.

The deputy mayor and narrator who pursues the truth behind the scandal. He is principled and relentless, navigating political pressure while aiming to reform the system. His investigation pushes him toward public service in a bid to restore trust.

An NYPD detective caught in IA’s smear campaign, trying to prove his innocence while protecting his family. He embodies the tension between personal loyalty and the duty to expose corruption. His fate becomes a test of whether the system can be trusted to vindicate the honest.

A mob figure and nephew of the Zapatti family who becomes a focal point of the criminal network’s leverage. His actions and ultimate fate in the Brooklyn shootout illustrate how organized crime intertwines with politics. His death amplifies the drive for reform and truth.

A Brooklyn-based mob boss who influences politics and the judiciary through bribery and intimidation. He frames opponents to protect his family’s interests and to maintain control over the criminal-political ecosystem.

Lawyer for the Detective’s Endowment Association who defends Santos’s family and becomes Calhoun’s reluctant ally. She balances legal ethics with the brutal realities of political maneuvering, pushing for accountability.

A Brooklyn political boss who orchestrates schemes to frame Santos and protect the Zapattis. Facing pressure, he ultimately chooses self-preservation over cooperation, killing himself to avoid jail or informing.

A judge whose seat is maintained through a bribe delivered by a political broker, linking him to the Zapattis’ scheme. His compromised position reveals how institutions can be bought, undermining justice.