Ryan Davis, a brilliant graduate student and languages scholar, is forced to learn a deadly new vocabulary when an attempted kidnapping shatters his quiet academic existence. After narrowly escaping, Ryan is plunged into a shadow world of danger and intrigue where he discovers shocking revelations about his life and himself. His uncle is not who he thought, his best friends may be his worst enemies and his long-dead father may actually still be alive. Yet it is Ryan's own dormant instincts and innate abilities that surprise him most, giving him the edge he needs to battle the sinister forces he suddenly finds arrayed against him.