Every major city has a secret police force, a select few that operate without rules. New York City is no exception and Dennis McNeil is no ordinary detective. A member of the Chief's unit, Mac is currently on paid leave with no plans to return. But the Chief wants him back in the "game"-where he belongs-and throws him a case he can't refuse. After all, how can anyone say "No" to a dying child? And that's what's happening to Moon Zollner. Dying of leukemia, Moon needs a stem cell transplant from a relative to survive. His only known relative is his mother, a junkie whore lost to the streets. She'll be hard to find, and as Mac and his partner soon learn, they're not the only ones looking for her. But for Moon's sake, they better find her first. So the clock is ticking. And that's why, in and beneath the streets of New York, it's going down ugly.