Ex-CIA war crimes investigator Joe Johnson is sucked into an inquiry which delves into the deadly world of Soviet and US undercover operations in Afghanistan during the '80s--and mysterious connections to current US and Russian politics. Johnson and his ex-MI6 colleague Jayne Robinson find themselves pursuing a Russian energy industry oligarch with strong links to Putin and a past he would rather keep hidden and an Afghan mujahideen bent on the most bloodthirsty revenge