But he still takes on independent assignments - for a fee. So when an oil executive begs Janson to rescue his wife, Allegra, from Somali pirates, Janson and Kincaid take on the case. However, pirates are the least of their worries in the violent chaos of oil-rich East Africa.

And when Janson and Kincaid stumble into a bewildering storm of plots and counter plots, they begin to fear the only way to escape would be to abandon the kidnapped Allegra.