A brutal homicide three thousand miles away has just shattered the tranquility of Lt. Peter Decker's household. A frantic phone call sends him and his wife, Rina Lazarus, on a plane east to the home of Decker's half-brother, a rabbi whose brother-in-law's naked body was found in a sleazy Manhattan hotel room. Even more disturbing: the dead man's 15-year-old niece - and possibly the last person to see him alive - has disappeared, leaving her family crazed with worry about her safety.

The shocking crime propels Decker onto the streets of a city he hasn't walked in 10 years, into an alien environment where his resources quickly run dry and the desperate hours pass without results. With little recourse, Decker is forced into New York's underbelly, seeking help from amoral souls who consider life as expendable as pocket change.

Obsessed with his mission to find the girl, Decker follows a labyrinthine trail of vile deeds and sinister secrets that threaten to pit brother against brother. Soon he's battling an unregenerate evil that threatens everything he holds dear - including Rina.