NYPD detective Jack Dilger is drifting way out of his jurisdiction. He suspects a society art dealer is fencing stolen old masters to Colombian drug traffickers and starts to follow their trail. Then suddenly he's ordered off the case. He defies his superiors, and finds himself risking his marriage, his career, and his life. Hunted and unarmed, Dilger retires to the south of France - and discovers a single, vital, unlikely ally. Inspecteur Madeleine Leclerq of the Police Judiciaire in the city of Nice uncovers evidence of corrupt politicians looting the city. She too is blocked by superiors. She too pushes doggedly on. Then Madeleine encounters Jack Dilger. Rejected by their profession and stalked by mortal enemies from their pasts, Dilger and Madeleine are now outsiders. International law enforcement can't or won't help. Amid the splendor and sensuality of the French Riviera, and almost against their will, they will find a haven in each other's arms. And test the limits of their mutual trust as they hurtle through a cycle of menace and survival that becomes more addictive - and more dangerous - with every move they dare.