A birthday party on a beautiful summer Sunday afternoon on the roof garden of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the guest of honor, Roland Fortune, mayor of New York City.

Suddenly multiple explosions rock the entire building. This is not an accident, not a gas leak, but a heinous act of terrorism. Among the injured is the mayor himself, and although he survives, but the woman he loves does not. Ultimately the death toll exceeds 1700 people. And the terrorism does not stop there. As the city's other iconic sites are targeted, the mayor throws Manhattan into lockdown.

In the chaos that ensues, law enforcement groups converge on New York City. The FBI, Homeland Security, the Armed Forces, even the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the President, come to the aid of the New York City Police Department.

Amidst this massive joint effort, only New York City Police Commissioner Gina Carbone is closing in on the terrorists. Her tactics well outside legal bounds, her cell operating in total secrecy, Gina takes vigilantism to a new level. Will her extremely aggressive actions succeed—or plunge the city into further catastrophe?