Detective Andrew ("Book") Booker chases Franco Moretti, a killer on the FBI's Most Wanted list, into a dark alley one night in Washington, DC. But rather than apprehending the fugitive, it is Book who is arrested, supposedly for murdering a Black teenager. Despite claims he's been framed, Book is forced to resign from the DC police and narrowly escapes a conviction for murder.

The emotionally shattering disgrace destroys his career and family life. As he veers toward alcoholic dependency, his wife demands a separation. With the help of his former Special Forces Commander in Afghanistan, Jeb Bronson, Book takes a job as a detective in Jefferson County, Virginia. Now retired, Bronson runs the county and heads up Ares Worldwide, a family-run military contracting corporation worth billions. Book soon discovers the rural area conceals threats every bit as deadly as the mean streets of the big city.

As Book navigates his new life, figuring out who set him up and why is never far from his mind. From rural Virginia to Geneva Switzerland, Book finds himself drawn into an international web of murder and bribery and must fight to save his life, protect his family, and figure out the setup once and for all.