When a Chinese National working for an American-owned construction company is grabbed off the streets of Shanghai in broad daylight and his one-man security detail goes missing as well, the call goes out to Rutherford Risk. That firm specializes in hostage extraction, from negotiation to recovery. Since private investigation is illegal in China, the company recruits two experts. One, Grace Chu, is a female forensic accountant who follows the money; the other, John Knox, is well trained in both combat and culture. They overcome their differing styles to try and get the hostages back before it's too late.