The border is a tough place to work, especially for FBI agent Tom Eriksen. With a history of violence, he cannot afford any on-duty screw-ups. So when an investigation ends in a bloody shootout and the shooting is deemed "questionable", the bureau reassigns Eriksen to an office known as "the Island of Misfit Cops": A resting place for those who have screwed up enough to warrant being dumped in El Paso.

But when his partner is murdered, Eriksen must take charge and solve the case, wading through corruption and betrayal to discover the truth. Only after he teams up with a resourceful and gorgeous NSA agent, Kat Gleason, does his luck change. As they slowly put the puzzle pieces together, the investigation points to a powerful cartel lord and a shadowy U.S. computer company.

As the web of deceit and betrayal tightens, the body count grows. Eriksen must deal with the mayhem caused by the cartels while racing against the clock to stop an assassin whose target is someone very close to him.