Senator "Poker John" Herbert of Louisiana will probably be the next President of the United States—unless a rumor about a secret in his past is exposed. It's a secret even he doesn't know about. Max Maxwell is sent to New Orleans to determine if the secret is true. Did Herbert father a mixed race child in his home state? If he did, does the child know who the father is and what impact can it have on the upcoming election? The search for the answers takes Max from Bourbon Street, the cane fields, and the bayous to a Saint John's Eve Voodoo celebration in his quest to find out the truth. Along the way, he sees what the government will do to destroy one of its own and how far it will go to protect that same person. One night of seeing That Old Black Magic in action is enough to last Max for a lifetime...if he has a lifetime left.