Jack Liffey, a decent guy, compassionate and brave, again finds himself on a case that turns familiar city streets into dangerous war zones. Liffey's city is greater Los Angeles, his turf the forgotten suburbs, run-down neighbourhoods, and volatile ethnic communities. To the anguish and despair of parents and protectors a city like LA holds lots of places for sons and daughters to hide, or be hidden. Liffey understands loss. First he lost his job in the aerospace industry, then he lost his wife and daughter. In his unerring ability to track down missing children, however, he has found his true calling. His newest case takes him deep into Los Angeles' Vietnamese community, where a beautiful young woman, Phuong, has disappeared. But the exotic realities and complex alliances of Little Saigon are not all that Liffey has to contend with as he uncovers the corporate fraud and feuds surrounding plans to develop a new airport at El Toro Marine Base.