Paired with ex-CHERUB Amy Collins and American Ted Brasker, both agents of international anti-smuggling taskforce Transnational Facilitator Unit (TFU), Ryan is tasked to befriend Californian Ethan Kitsell.

To Ryan's disgust, TFU head Denise "Dr D" Huggan plans to have Ethan tracked, rather than intervene to stop the clan from bringing him to Kyrgyzstan.

Meanwhile, 11-year-old Fu Ning is forced to flee China with her British stepmother Ingrid after her stepfather Chaoxiang is arrested for his role in a human smuggling organisation.

The two manage to enter Kyrgyzstan on an Aramov plane, but are taken captive by Leonid, who plans to torture Ingrid into handing over details of bank accounts Chaoxiang had registered in her name.

Leonid kills Ingrid after getting the information he needs out of her, but Ning manages to escape with the aid of Dan, a sympathetic Aramov enforcer.