The activist daughter of a U.S. senator has been kidnapped, vanishing into the dark heart of a lawless, oil-rich nation. Her fate has become the concern of governments and multinational corporations jockeying for power in the area. But only one American, Lt. Col. Evan Burton, has the courage and the local experience to track down Kelly Trost.

Disillusioned by the cruelty of other men's wars and by the cynicism of his own government, Burton is prepared to hang up his uniform when the fate of one young woman calls him back to duty. It will prove to be the most difficult and brutal mission of his career, as he searches for her amid the chaos of a war-torn country controlled by gangsters, religious zealots, warlords, oil executives, mutinous generals and foreign spies. For an innocent has become a bargaining chip in a cold and ruthless global game.