Hinton, a professor of economics and energy expert at the University of Oklahoma is recruited by the CIA to help find his colleague Doug Ross who is suspected of the murder of an energy analyst in the DC area. The CIA thinks Hinton could find his colleague quicker than they could. Hinton, who had once worked for the CIA, reluctantly agrees. The CIA thinks Ross is in London where two other energy analysts have disappeared. Hinton's involvement in the case takes him to CIA headquarters in Langley, London, Paris, Vienna, and Riyadh. Along the way he encounters fascinating characters, scary adventures, and additional murders. There is no shortage of suspects, including his old Saudi friend from graduate school, Mohammed Rabbani, nicknamed The Rabbi. The oil and gas industry, the energy transition, and oil price volatility play prominent roles in the story. Ultimately, the mysteries are resolved in Hinton's favorite part of the world, West Texas.