Portia Barrington, the precocious fifteen year old daughter of prominent defense attorney, Myles Barrington, has been kidnapped. Portia's bodyguard, who doubled as her chauffeur, is missing. Myles paid but the kidnappers demand another ransom. When he paid a second time, they ask for a third ransom. What's going on? Why would kidnappers ask for three ransoms, knowing that each time they collect, they risk being captured by the police, Phoenix Perry wonders, when she's asked to investigate her first child abduction case. When the kidnappers call again they make it clear that they are getting inside information. They know that Phoenix and her partner Kelly McPherson are running the show. Is the kidnapping a hoax? Did Myles Barrington do something so hideous to his daughter that he had to fake a kidnapping to cover it up? Or did the black chauffeur kidnap and viciously rape the pretty white teenager, and then add insult to injury by bilking her loving parents out of half a million dollars? Former president Palmer Davidson, who picked Phoenix to find the murderer of his Supreme Court nominee, Jennifer Taylor, is a personal friend of Myles Barrington. Now Davidson is wielding his considerable influence once again to find the truth. The clock is ticking. After talking to fellow lead agent, Jack Ryan, Phoenix is stunned to learn that the bodyguard works for her husband's private detective agency. Now Keyth is being investigated too.