Cullen Hunter, a psychologically scarred Vietnam-era combat veteran, finds himself in the cross hairs of fate. Nearing midlife, haunted by loss and the darkness of his existence, Hunter feels the tight grip of destiny as his work takes him back to Bangkok. An abhorrent, unresolved murder case jars loose the ghosts he has spent a lifetime suppressing.
The Bangkok police are after a gruesome killer whose modus operandi matches that of Hunter's most odious case. A series of bone-chilling, ritualistic murders of kung-farang (Caucasian-American women) grips Bangkok. Teamed with Caucasian-Asian Lieutenant Mitr Suliapong, Hunter faces his own demons as he chases down the psychotic madman coined “Butterfly” by the police. The chase takes Hunter and Lt. Suliapong into the belly of the infamous Patpong Road District and ultimately leads them to the shadowy world of Kuhn Sa, Emperor of the Golden Triangle.
As Hunter and Suliapong's investigation leads them closer to the killer, “Butterfly” retaliates by kidnapping Suliapong's twin sister, Thasanee. While racing to save Thasanee’s life, Hunter confronts some shocking truth about his prior life in Thailand during the Vietnam War.
The ultimate confrontation between the hunters and the hunted renders itself complete in an ancient Buddhist Temple where Hunter and “Butterfly”, shaped indelibly by the forces of war, face off in one final contest.
