"No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it." (Theodore Roosevelt)

FBI agent Jeannie Loomis is back and needs closure after the disastrous ending to the Ark of the Covenant investigation. After months of tracking the activities of Dr. Nancy Bell, Frank Silva, and the rogue military group Banshees, there is no evidence that any criminal activity took place in Ethiopia, or if the Ark of the Covenant actually exists.

Feeling her career is headed to a dumpster, she travels to Ethiopia to retrace the steps of the Banshees and their attempted theft of the Ark. Meanwhile, the Star Chamber, a secret tribunal, is in session, judging individuals in absentia for acts against the United States. This judicial body tries individuals above the law due to their political power, wealth, or celebrity status. A guilty verdict results in a death sentence carried out by the equally secret SDL group. One of the first to receive a death sentence is a former secretary of state.

As the death toll rises, Agent Loomis and her team stumble into the workings of the secret court while investigating child pornography, sex trafficking, and a mysterious "sex island." Agent Loomis, struggling with the fact that she is pregnant and her living a dangerous lifestyle, attempts to handle her personal and work-related dilemmas, while once again working with agent Delaney of Interpol. As Agent Loomis and her team starts connecting the dots of the assassinations, the scornful SAC Davenport is trying to end her career with the bureau.