When Richard Monroe's plan for a happy retirement from the CIA and living in Paris with his lady. Then an assassin took her life and he had little to live for except finding the killer. He is approached with an offer of help and employment by a man who has amazing connections inside the government but no official position that Monroe can discern. He does, however, have missions that the CIA and FBI want to stay out of and he needs someone with Monroe's experience to carry them out. One of the first will involve finding the killer.