Spotlights swept across the Grand Plaza Hotel's ballroom, catching on crystal chandeliers that scattered light like diamonds. Underneath them, New York's elite mingled in formal wear that cost more than most people earned in months. Women draped in silk and jewels. Men in perfectly tailored tuxedos. The soft notes of a string quartet floated above the murmur of conversations and tinkling champagne glasses.

Camille Kane stood just outside the ballroom doors, watching ...