Lincoln Rhyme returns to take on the terrifying world of Chinese organized crime. The American government sets Rhyme an almost impossible task, but the criminologist, along with his partner Amelia Sachs, locates a cargo ship carrying twenty-five illegal immigrants from China, and also finds the famous cargo carrier and killer known as the Phantom. However, the capture of the Phantom turns out to be a disaster, and Lincoln and Amelia enter a race against time to stop the Phantom before he can find and kill two surviving immigrant families who are lost in the labyrinth of New York's Chinatowns. For forty-eight hours, the Illusive Man hunts the immigrants relentlessly while Rhyme, with the help of a Chinese cop, tries to find them first. Meanwhile, Sachs takes on a job that is unusual for her, while establishing close contact with one of the immigrants, which may affect her relationship with Lincoln Rhyme, her partner and lover.