Even as he works as an investigative wildlife reporter, Tom Klay is also a CIA agent. But while on assignment in Kenya, Klay is attacked and his closest friend is murdered. Soon Klay's carefully constructed double life unravels as his ambition turns to revenge, and he begins by by infiltrating the offices of the woman he once loved, South Africa's special prosecutor, Hungry Khoza. Klay soon discovers that he and Hungry are part of a larger, more lethal game, one that involves a ruthless mercenary and a global superpower.