[2] In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Al Qaeda in the Balkans leader Tarik Brkić, who is of Chechen descent, is tasked by his mysterious benefactor Red Wing to orchestrate false flag attacks on Croats, Bosniaks and Serbs in order to disrupt the Unity Referendum, an upcoming national gathering which aims to promote equality among the three rival ethnic groups.

He obtains eighty thermobaric warheads as well as the accompanying missile guidance system, stolen from a Russian armory in Syria and smuggled into the country, for this purpose.

After finishing his accounting job a week later, Ryan explores the city, especially Triglav National Park, where he narrowly survives a murder attempt by a tourist known as Elena Iliescu.

Unbeknownst to him, Iliescu is an assassin sent by a secret crime network called the Iron Syndicate, whose leader, Vladimir Vasilev, wanted Ryan, as well as ex-senator Weston Rhodes, eliminated as revenge for the death of his colleague Tervel Zvezdev (depicted at length in Point of Contact).

Instantly smitten by her beauty, Ryan postpones his flight for a few more days and spends time with her, exploring most of Bosnia through a popular tour service that she owns; he even volunteers in a refugee agency that she also holds.

She then reveals the impending missile strike, which is on a Serbian Orthodox Church event in Sarajevo's Olympic soccer stadium, as she leaves Ryan under her cousin, who is also involved in the scheme, to prepare for the attack.

After informing Hendley of his location and engaging in a fistfight with Brkić's men, Ryan narrowly escapes just before the building is destroyed by a Tomahawk missile ordered by his father.

The Curić family's tour service was kept, but this time it was also used as a conduit to smuggle drugs, guns, and fugitives into the Balkans; when Samir died, his daughter took his place as the owner.

[7] However, Publishers Weekly gave the book a mixed review, stating that it "struggles to give a coherent picture of the politics of [Bosnia]", and that "Only a nostalgic love of these aging characters will induce readers to plow through the formulaic plot to the unsurprising ending.