The Iranian Quds Force enlists the help of Iranian expatriate Ash Esfahani to arrange for a cartel hit man. The mission is to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States. The plot is uncovered, and the FBI and DEA infiltrate using undercover agent Victor "V-Rod" Rodriquez, aka Hector Cruz. After gaining the trust of the Iranian expatriate, Cruz must now gain the trust of Quds Force operative Ali Falahian.

As the story evolves, the motivation and intent of the Iranian planners is exposed. In 2020, Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani was assassinated by a US missile strike. In retaliation, the regime developed "Thirteen Revenge Scenarios." The Iranian public and leadership were led to believe Soleimani's death lay solely at the feet of the American government, but the general's death has ties back to the IRGC. Soleimani's successor, Abdul Reza Sasani's motives are suspect. His rise to senior Quds Force general to replace Soleimani was, by all accounts, natural and expected--only Falahian has long suspected Sasani's role in his mentor's death and has vowed to retaliate.

Ali Falahian has a storied past. As a young intelligence officer in Iraq, he orchestrated the Iranian IED campaign that resulted in many hundreds of US casualties. He was also instrumental in the attack on the Karbala Communication Compound that led to the death of several US military and CIA personnel. CIA operator David James "D. J." Dixon has been hunting Falahian ever since.

The assassination attempt on the Saudi ambassador is not the only threat facing the FBI's National Joint Terrorism Task Force. While the NJTTF chases down intelligence leads and attempts to thwart an attack, Ali Falahian moves on to the next of the "Thirteen Revenge Scenarios."