Bret Lee, a U.S. Army chemical engineer, retires to look for work in private industry, only to learn that the high-paying job he's offered at a Caracas fertilizer plant requires him to become a spy. And thus Bret and his Chinese wife, Chu-Lin, become enmeshed in the struggle for oil within the most dangerous city of the world. With help from the CIA, the Lees discover China's plan to control Venezuela's oil production. But these spy mates have an "ace in the hole" that might just trump China's play.