That evening, Mitch takes the subway home to his Upper West Side apartment, thinking about his upcoming trip to Memphis. His eight-year-old twin sons, Clark and Carter, greet him at the door. In the kitchen, his wife, Abby McDeere, is working with two Italian guest chefs who own a successful trattoria. Abby, a senior editor at Epicurean Press, is editing their cookbook and allows them to test recipes in her kitchen.

The family and chefs share an experimental multi-course dinner, which has become a pastime. After the chefs leave, Mitch tells Abby he must go to Memphis the next day. She is upset, reminding him of his promise to avoid more death row cases and their agreement never to return to Memphis. They always remember how they both had fled the city,  fearing for their lives. Mitch reassures her that all the dangerous people are dead or imprisoned, and no one will recognize him. He stresses that it will only take a day to meet with the lawyer because the prison is in Nashville. Abby reluctantly agrees but tells him to be careful.

Mitch arrives at the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis. Immediately, memories of the place rush in. He recalls his recruitment visit when he was a naive Harvard Law graduate  “driven by greed” (16). After checking in, he takes a walk to the former Bendini Building, now renovated with condos, recalling the faces of his former colleagues. He then heads to a deli and sits in the exact spot where an FBI agent first approached him, questioning him about the Bendini firm. Mitch recalls the conversation that started everything. After checking that everyone is fine at home, he returns to the hotel, feeling nostalgic as he thinks about his young years in Memphis. 

After a dinner at the Rendezvous restaurant, one of his first pleasant Memphis memories, he prepares for his meeting with Amos Patrick. Amos is the founder of the Capital Defense Initiative, a nonprofit that defends death row inmates. He is well known as a public defender of death penalty inmates. He grew up in rural Georgia and noticed early on the injustice of racism against Black people. After years of work, he is now slowing down. 

The next morning, Mitch waits nearly an hour past his appointment time at Amos’s office. After a long delay, Amos welcomes him and delivers the shocking news: Tad Kearny was found dead that morning, hanging from an electrical cord in his shower cell. Officials declare it a death by suicide. Amos, visibly emotional, shows Mitch a disturbing photo of the body. He suspects that Kearny was murdered. He mentions a gang of DEA agents who, since the 90s, secretly execute drug dealers rather than arresting them. Kearny had also been making accusations against his legal teams before firing them. Amos believes he was killed to be silenced, though the investigation will be a whitewash. Mitch is relieved the case is over, and the two men briefly discuss the Bendini firm collapse before parting ways.

Leaving Memphis, Mitch changes his flight to depart from Nashville and makes a detour to Sumrall, a small town two hours east. There, he visits his old friend Lamar Quin, now practicing law in a modest office above a sporting goods store. Mitch and Lamar met at Harvard and went on to work together at the Bendini firm. The two have not met for 15 years, and their reunion is tense. Lamar reminds Mitch that he spent 27 months in federal prison because of him.

Over lunch at a sandwich shop, they gradually reconcile, reminiscing about their old days together with their wives in Memphis. Lamar describes the firm’s collapse after Oliver Lambert flipped, leading to guilty pleas from everyone. He names colleagues who died: Lambert in prison, Royce McKnight by suicide, and Avery killed by the Mob. Lamar recounts the horror of his arrest, trial, and imprisonment, and how his wife Kay stood by him. He eventually passed the bar exam again, worked at the law library, and managed to practice law again, earning a modest living. Lamar wonders how Mitch got away and managed to gain a prestigious job, still accusing him of his imprisonment. Mitch explains how he and Abby escaped: His brother Ray, released from prison by the FBI in exchange for Mitch’s cooperation, arranged a boat from Grand Cayman. They sailed from Florida and spent months traveling before eventually settling in Italy. After three years abroad, they moved to London, where Mitch joined Scully, then transferred to New York when Abby became pregnant.

Lamar describes visiting Mitch’s office building in New York and wondering what would happen if they met. Mitch invites Lamar and Kay to visit, but Lamar politely declines, saying it will never happen.

Mitch arrives home near midnight after several delays. Abby asks him about the trip, but Mitch does not mention his visit to Lamar and assures her that Memphis belongs to the past. The next morning,  Mitch reads online reports labeling Tad Kearny’s death as a suicide and stating that “the system had worked” (39). He feels relieved to have avoided another hopeless death row case, thinking about what he would have to go through. He finally tells Abby that his career as a death row lawyer is over. 

Mitch walks his sons to the River Latin School, an elite private institution that is 90% white and all-male. Though he and Abby pay for the best education, they worry about the lack of diversity. Later, in his office building’s atrium, Mitch sits on a bench and remembers Lamar’s story about his visit there. Willie finds him and asks to discuss Amos Patrick later. 

Jack Ruch, the firm’s managing partner, the “top man” and law veteran, calls Mitch to his office. Jack reveals that Luca Sandroni, head of the firm’s Rome office, has received bad medical news and wants Mitch in Rome immediately. The case involves Lannak, a Turkish construction company, and a dispute in Libya over an unpaid bridge project. Though vague on details, the assignment sounds urgent and important. Mitch accepts the case, feeling excited for an adventure.

Mitch flies to Rome and meets with Luca Sandroni at Scully & Pershing’s historic office in the Trastevere neighborhood. After a brief catch-up, Luca reveals he has pancreatic cancer with a poor prognosis. He asks Mitch to keep it secret and to take over his most important case: a $400 million claim filed with the United Arbitration Board in Geneva against the Libyan government on behalf of Lannak.

Luca explains the case’s background. In 1999, the Libyan government signed with Lannak for the construction of the Great Gaddafi Bridge, a massive suspension bridge over a dried riverbed that would link the two sides of the Libyan desert, with a plan to also build cities. The four-year project was a grandiose vision of Colonel Gaddafi that eventually spiraled out of control with constant changes and overruns. Gaddafi claimed the money for the project would come from Libyan oil. The bridge is now complete but largely unused, as it stands in an empty desert with no traffic. The Libyans owe Lannak $400 million and refuse to pay. Their defense, handled by the “aggressive and […] unethical” Reedmore firm in London (53), consists of standard excuses about defective work and unnecessary costs. Luca wants Mitch to lead the case because he is an effective American advocate, and the arbitration board chairman is also a Harvard graduate. 

Luca asks Mitch to travel to Libya as soon as possible. Over lunch at Luca’s regular bistro, Luca requests that Mitch add his daughter, Giovanna, a fifth-year associate in Scully’s London offices, to the legal team, who is eager to get involved. Mitch agrees. Finally, Luca admits he has less than six months to live, and the case is now entirely Mitch’s responsibility.

Before flying to London, Mitch decides to return to New York first. During the flight, Mitch reviews materials about the case, the United Arbitration Board and Luca’s lengthy claim, reflecting on how winning arbitration awards is easy, but collecting them from “rogue states” like Libya that often walk away from international treaties when losing interest.

That evening, Mitch rushes to his sons’ youth baseball game in Central Park, where he serves as bench coach. The team wins and celebrates at a pizzeria. Watching the affluent, supportive parents, Mitch recalls his own childhood in Danesboro, Kentucky, where his parents never attended his games.

At home, Abby is shocked by the news of Luca’s illness.  Mitch says he will be gone for about a week but notes the trip can be unpredictable. 

Abby mentions her parents are visiting for the weekend. The narrative details Mitch’s difficult history with his in-laws, who disapproved of him and did not attend his and Abby’s small campus wedding 20 years ago. Abby’s father runs a bank, and the family has status in Danesboro, unlike the McDeeres. Though the arrival of grandchildren has softened tensions, Mitch maintains firm boundaries: They cannot stay in the apartment, cannot ask about his work, and cannot expect visits to Kentucky. Therapy has helped Abby forgive her parents, but Mitch remains guarded. They discuss his mother, who has dementia and lives in a facility, and his brother Ray, who became a charter boat captain in Key West, following his release from prison.

Abby wishes that Mitch would not go to Libya. She says that she researched the country on the State Department website and notes that it is designated a terrorist state. Mitch reassures her that Luca knows the country well and it will be safe.

After nearly 30 hours of travel from New York through Milan and Cairo with multiple delays, Mitch arrives in Tripoli, feeling “hungry” for new accomplishments. The terminal is patrolled by heavily armed soldiers. While waiting in a long customs line, he meets Samir Jamblad, a Libyan local facilitator who has worked for Lannak and knows Luca for years. Samir bypasses customs and security, leading Mitch to his car.

On the road, Samir explains his role as a corporate handyman who knows everyone in Libya, from military leaders to customs officials. He informs Mitch that Giovanna Sandroni is already at the hotel. They plan to meet for lunch, followed by a meeting with the Turkish company representatives and Mitch’s appointed security team to discuss the visit to the Gaddafi bridge.

Mitch asks why they need security. Samir explains that beyond the cities, Libya is vast and wild, with tribal conflicts and warlords operating in the Sahara Desert. He explains that although the government approved their trip, it does not control all the territory.

Mitch checks into the Corinthia Hotel, the hub for Western businessmen and diplomats in Tripoli. After a nap and a shower, he meets Samir and Giovanna for lunch. Giovanna has Italian features and speaks both English and Italian. A 32-year-old woman, she has had an elite education in prestigious institutions and has been working at Scully for five years. 

Mitch and Giovanna discuss Luca’s grim prognosis. Samir outlines the next day’s plan: a 5 am departure for a six-hour drive south of Tripoli, spending about three hours at the bridge before returning, as traveling after dark is too dangerous. A few company engineers will inform them about the bridge’s history. 

After lunch, Samir gives them a walking tour of the crowded and vibrant ancient Old City. Soon, the call to prayer begins, and the streets empty as men head to mosques.

Mitch and Giovanna meet their Turkish security team consisting of four men: Haskel, the leader, along with Abdo, Aziz, and Gau. All are heavily armed. Haskel, who has been to the bridge dozens of times without incident, assures them the trip will be uneventful. They will travel in a customized truck driven by Youssef, a trusted Libyan employee, with Walid as backup driver and Samir accompanying them.

After leaving them at the hotel, Samir goes home, locks himself in his office, and secretly calls his handler with the Libyan military police. He spends 30 minutes debriefing on every detail of the lawyers’ activities, from what Giovanna wore to her hotel room number and her and Mitch’s dinner plans.

That evening, Giovanna dresses elegantly for dinner with Mitch at the hotel. They discuss Giovanna’s cosmopolitan upbringing, her education in Switzerland, Ireland, and Virginia, and her complicated relationship with her father following her parents’ divorce. Mitch explains how a poor kid from Kentucky got into Harvard Law with a perfect undergraduate record and near-perfect test scores. Giovanna, determined to become a partner in the firm, asks for advice about whether staying in London or returning to Rome would be better for her. Mitch tells her that location does not matter, as Scully recognizes talent anywhere. After dinner, Mitch walks Giovanna to her room and says good night.

Mitch wakes violently ill in the middle of the night, with symptoms including severe vomiting, dizziness, profuse sweating, and a racing heart. He crawls to the bathroom, unable to stand, and eventually begins vomiting blood. The front desk does not answer his calls. He assumes it is food poisoning and manages to call Giovanna, who is not sick. She comes to his room and calls Samir, who arrives quickly with two doctors.

Mitch is taken to the Mitiga Military Hospital, a modern facility and the best in Libya. Dr. Omran, who also studied at Harvard, treats him and orders tests. He notes severe dehydration and dangerously high vitals, and he administers medications to control the symptoms. Dr. Omran admits Mitch for observation.

With their departure for the bridge approaching, they discuss their options. Samir explains that rescheduling the government-approved trip would be difficult and might be denied. Giovanna volunteers to go without Mitch, stating she knows the case materials well enough to handle it. Mitch, in extreme pain, asks Samir if the trip is safe. Samir reassures him repeatedly.

Back at the hotel before dawn, Samir tells Giovanna that Dr. Omran wants him to stay with Mitch due to possible complications and hints that it might not be food poisoning. Despite this ominous suggestion, Giovanna departs in the armored truck with the four Turkish guards and two Libyan drivers, Youssef and Walid, heading into the desert toward the bridge.