Dr. Arthur Beeman is a brilliant genetic engineer who has developed the deadliest viral weapon in history. Obsessed with the cosmic secrets of life and death, he kidnaps two young women for horrific human experiments, not knowing he's under surveillance by North Korean agents who blackmail him to obtain the virus. North Korea is planning to start a war, and intends to unleash Beeman's weapon upon the world. Mark Jensen's life as a prestigious trial lawyer comes unhinged when he learns that his daughter has gone missing, and the police offer him no assistance in finding her. Sensing that their investigation is being deliberately stalled, he turns to an aging former CIA officer, Albert Brecht, for help. Brecht is the founder of an elite and highly secretive private intelligence firm. He's waited decades for an opportunity to repay a life-long debt to the Jensen family. He leads a hand-picked team on a mission to find the missing women, and in the process discovers North Korea's invasion plans. Brecht's top field agent, Roady Kenehan, is trained in high-level intelligence operations, investigation and special warfare. He is tapped by Brecht to take the operational lead in finding Jensen's daughter, and is surprised to discover that he has far more than just a professional interest in doing so. The clock is counting down to zero.