Ridge Walker is a young expatriate Scot in San Francisco trying to make sense of his hedonistic lifestyle. His Irish wife, Orla, had been involved with Irish terrorism and was killed during a botched bombing of the Scottish Parliament. Ridge fled to the US where he was living a self destructive existence, consumed by guilt and self-pity due to being unable to dissuade her from the action that led to her demise. He begins dating Juanita, who soon after vanishes. It becomes evident that Juanita had been involved with a shadowy Mexican gangster, nicknamed The Crocodile, and he fears she has been kidnapped. After being beaten up Ridge is warned not to try and find her. Ridge seizes upon the opportunity to give his life meaning and determines to rescue Juanita against the advice of his friend, Thaddeus. Thad is a gay 6'3" Amerasian male model with many hidden qualities. Thad has his own secrets including an estranged power-broker father whose chequered past dates back to the Vietnam War. Ridge travels to Central America meeting a rich cavalcade of characters including a one-eyed ex-Hells Angel, a deviant John Lennon lookalike and a gun-running 'priest'. Ex-DEA agent Ed takes him under his wing. Like Ridge the corrupt agent sees a chance at salvation, but not before selling his soul to the devil just one more time. Struggling to control a business empire inherited after the death of his older brother, Ramon has an infantile temper and uses gratuitous violence and young women to satisfy his uncontrollable appetites. Juanita was his lucky talisman and he wants her back. His two lieutenants are both angry and bitter. Xavier is in love with the wrong woman and Max, the Hummer, is angry at errors involving IRA agents missing in Mexico and a mysterious shipping operation gone awry. In rain swept Dublin, Jimmy is an unhappy Real IRA terrorist who is having a bad day. He rails against the poor quality of his colleagues who seem to care more about the cash than the cause. Meanwhile where is Orla's missing brother, Colm? How does he seem to know so much about the Mexican drug war? Ridge, Ed & Juanita are swept up to safety in Guatemala just after they taste the bitter wrath of the drugs cartel in the most brutal way possible. Colm reunites Ridge with Thad in Mexico and after recruiting the Diamond Dogs, three ex-marine mercenaries who have a predilection for cross dressing as burlesque dancers, they stage a spectacular assault on the seemingly invincible Ramon. In a truly cataclysmic confrontation in which our friends battle horrific injuries and make noble sacrifices, the explosive climax throws up as many questions as it answers. Ridge finds that truth has become a precious commodity and trust flickers like a dying flame in the heat and dust of the desert darkness. He is appalled to find he is up against an an international array of disparate enemies who for widely differing reasons all want his head on a plate. Ridge can find no sanctuary or respite until in one death or glory confrontation he vows to exchange his life for those of his friends and in the tumultuous madness of battle his soul finally finds safety in the most unlikely of places. Some killed for Yankee dollars, some for power. Others fought and died for friendship, for revenge and for forgiveness. Those who were victorious however played to a different tune. They fought for love. He who pays the piper...