Jefferson Ripley is a man of many talents, who has been a soldier, loyal friend, and now his life has brought him firmly into the field of contract killing. He is however, a man that lives by a code of honor instilled in him during his youth. Many years of military service have made this man who he is today. When confronted with his next job, he must walk a thin line between keeping to the code and just being another mercenary. An estranged wife has contacted him claiming her husband, whom she has not seen in five years, is an evil man whose life must be ended for the good of society. The biggest problem Ripley faces is this man's station in society. He is a highly honored man, a marine Colonel, who was once awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery in battle during the Vietnam War. As a former soldier, this creates turmoil and conflict in Ripley because he must decide if, in good conscience, he can take such a job and kill a brother in arms. Jefferson Ripley must delve into the world of Colonel Leslie Massengill to investigate the different stories he has been told. He must find the real truth. Has the woman who hired him told him the truth? Is this woman just a jaded woman who wants her husband dead no matter what it takes? Or is it possible she only seeks justice? Ripley is confronted with a twisted, depraved, reality that he must unravel one strand at a time. Along the way, old emotions, that have lay dead for a decade, are rekindled by a woman who brings out a side of Ripley he thought had died years ago. Can love be possible for a man who has chosen his way of life? This makes Jefferson Ripley's job even more difficult, because he is being led down a path he desires but knows cannot be a possibility with his chosen profession. Once Ripley begins to unravel this seedy mystery, the target becomes one of the greatest evils he has ever encountered in his life. This man is a poison to the small town of which he is a pillar, and destroys anything pure and gentle he touches. It becomes obviously apparent to Ripley that this man is undeserving of the honor he has been given, and the life he leads. With one twist after another, Jefferson Ripley cannot believe the spiraling convolution of malice he has stumbled upon. Once he has finally deciphered the truth, he knows what must be done and prepares his plan to disgrace, discredit, and eliminate the 'Unjustly Awarded.'