P.I. Roland Ford is on the trail of a madman who is killing CIA drone operators and leaving puzzling clues at each crime scene. His friend Lindsay Rakes is afraid for herself and her son after a fellow flight crew member is found dead. In this sequel to The Room of White Fire, Ford forms an uneasy alliance with San Diego-based FBI agent Joan Taucher, who is haunted by what she sees as the Bureau's failure to catch the 9/11 terrorists. Each desperate for their own reasons, Ford and Taucher dash into the fray to stop the killer from striking again.