War-veteran Daytona Pete intercepts a mayday call on his ham radio at 5:30 p.m. amidst a raging storm off Florida's east coast. The skipper of the forty-four-foot Molly C requests assistance. The fierce storm prevents immediate rescue. When the yacht is located the next day on New Smyrna Beach, the skipper is dead from a gunshot wound to the head. As Captain Manny Salinas from the Daytona Beach Police Department and his black Labrador retriever, Peaches, search the Molly C for clues, they discover a hidden cache of cocaine worth $3 million and one cup of ricin, a poison toxic enough to contaminate thousands of people. Homeland Security Agent Hutchinson joins the investigation. He is caught off guard with his growing love for Catherine Hainsworth, a prominent Daytona Beach architect who unwittingly is caught in the intrigue. Hutchinson battles to stop the terrorists from releasing the deadly toxin, and to save the love of his life without jeopardizing his mission or her safety.