When a controversial US diplomat is attacked during the opening of a Donegal gold mine, Garda Inspector Benedict Devlin is disciplined for the lapse in security.
The gunman turns out to be a young enviornmentalist - related to an old friend of Devlin's.
Within days, the killing of an illegal immigrant near the Irish border leads Devlin to a vicious people-smuggling ring.
Then Bradley himself is found dead near the mine and Devlin begins to suspect that the business is a front for something far more sinister than mere mining.
