The headstrong daughter of a prominent U.S. senator came to a forgotten corner of the earth to make a difference - and to escape the influence of her powerful father. But Kelly Trost escaped too well - for now she has vanished into the dark heart of a lawless, oil-rich nation struggling through a violent rebirth in the wake of the Soviet collapse. No one knows if she is a prisoner of fanatics or mountain warlords - or even if she is alive - as her fate suddenly becomes the concern of governments and multi-national corporations jockeying for power in the area. Only one American, Lt. Colonel Evan Burton, has the courage and the local experience to track down Kelly Trost. Disillusioned by the hopelessness and cruelty of other men's wars, and by the cynicism of his own government, Burton is prepared to hang up his uniform - when the fate of one young woman calls him back to duty.