Scene: In a gilded townhome several floors above New Yorkâs Fifth Avenue, a family toasts its patriarchâs 80th birthday. Rather than bask in the warmth of his familyâs love and respect, the patriarch makes an announcement: He intends to remain CEO of his family-controlled media conglomerate for another five or 10 years. The patriarch has made this decision even though he himself â and a Forbes magazine cover story â anointed his second-eldest son as CEO-in-waiting.
Love and respect turn to anger, confusion â and eventual betrayal â as the leader of both family and business suffers a stroke and all manner of multibillion-dollar hijinks rip the corporation from its moorings.