Attorney Ben Kincaid's childhood friend, Oscar Kirby, appears in his office a changed man. His name is now Omar al-Jabbar, he has converted to the Islamic faith, and his activities on behalf of an Arab-American rights organization have brought him to the attention of the CIA. For twenty-one days he was subjected to waterboarding, starvation, sleep deprivation, and a host of other brutal "enhanced interrogation techniques" -- without being charged with a crime. Omar wants to sue the government, but when his interrogator, Khalid Nazir, is murdered, Omar is at the top of the suspect list. A dramatic trial unfolds in the courtroom-loaded with pitfalls, surprises, and a breathtaking betrayal. Something else, something very dangerous lurks on the perimeter of this case, and Ben must pull every trick he knows to uncover the truth, to fight the brutal machinery of both law enforcement and the intelligence community, and to find answers hidden in a murderous maze of lies and secret motives.