Now in Argentina tying up loose ends from his investigation into the UN oil-for-food scandal, Castillo is startled when a young man caught trying to sneak through the fence of his safe house turnd out to be an American officer, a lieutenant assigned to the embassy in Paraguay. A DEA agent has disappeared while trying to interdict drugs, and very little is being done about it, for diplomatic reasons. The lieutenant has heard of Castillo, knows what he's done and wants his help in getting the agent back. Castillo reluctantly agrees with the director of the National Intelligence and the secretary of state that he is not qualified to try and free the DEA agent, but this decision is overridden by the President who thinks that Castillo can do just about anything - and has assured the mayor of Chicago - who bounced the missing DEA agent on his knee as a child - that Castillo will get him back. Fully aware that he's over her head dealing with the international drug trade, Castillo nevertheless starts to comply with the President's order, and quickly finds out that certain elements of the intelligence and military communities who have been ordered to give him whatever support he thinks he needs not only are not ready to help - but seem to be willing to kill him and his men if that;s what;s necessary to keep him from exposing what they have been up to. And what they have been up to? He doesn't eve want to think about...