Julia McCoy finds herself working as an auditor for Matrix Corporation, an international mining conglomerate. Her first field assignment is to review the copper reserves of EthioCupro, a mining operation in Ethiopia, where she is joined by senior financial auditor Mick Stanton. Julia notices there are some odd things going on at the mine. The evidence suggests the mine is extracting something in addition to copper, but what or why remains shrouded in mystery. Julia and Mick head to the Danakil depression to see the unusual hot springs there. Aman arranges for Julia to be captured by anti-government rebels while in Danakil. From there, Julia struggles to survive in the one of most brutal and difficult places on the planet -- the horn of Africa