Amidst conflict between Canada and the US over jurisdiction issues, experienced RCMP detective Alfonso Palermo and his partner Robert Santos establish themselves as lead investigators on behalf of the Canadian government.
After a phone call from the US President puts pressure on the investigation, the detectives search the crime scene for clues, and Palermo irritates his American counterparts with his "old-school" methods.
Palermo, suspecting that one of the kidnappers may have visited the bar, declares it a crime scene; to the chagrin of the American detectives, he finds a clue on the floor which supports his theory.
While there, he also visits the ambassador's parents and questions them about their son; unhappy to find that the Canadian police are running the investigation, they call the president to complain.
When a lead suggests that charges against Ambassador Adams were mysteriously dropped due to a phone call from a powerful individual, Palermo and Santos travel to Niagara Falls and talk to Sheriff Nathaniel Williams.
While Santos arrests MacDonald and takes her to jail, Palermo informs the team of the news and rushes to the warehouse to find the missing girl.