Col. Chang Li, former Chinese Special Forces commander, is currently an "ambassador" to South and Central American countries negotiating "Belt and Road" initiatives, chosen because of his bright intelligence and flawless Spanish (his Mother is from Mexico City). He is sent to Mexico to negotiate an initiative to expand Mexico's two largest naval bases to accommodate the world's largest oil tankers (as well as Chinese aircraft carriers and other military ships if ever needed). In addition, he is to travel to the border between Mexico and the US and meet with Cartel leaders to inspect their border infrastructures.

Once in Mexico, he meets with the Mexican President to introduce the proposal. When leaving the office he encounters Dough McCloud, who is there representing Texas Governor Sperry on border issues. The Mexican President introduces the two and they chat on border issues. The Mexican President introduces the two and they chat and exchange business cards and promise to meet together soon.

Col. Li spends the next few days at the border interviewing cartel leaders and inspecting tunnels under the border the Cartels use to carry drugs, sec traffickers, and migrants into the US. Some of these are large enough to allow trucks back and forth and lead into large warehouses on the American side. The leaders tell him that they could transport as many Chinese across the border as China might want. Li discovers that each Cartel maintains many "distribution centers" across the US where they ship and distribute drugs. Each of these have hundreds of Cartel soldiers there. While there, Li runs into Doug McCloud several times and they develop an uneasy friendship between them.

After many meetings with Cartel leaders, Col. Li realizes just how open the border really is. A plan begins to slowly emerge in his mind. A plan which could forever alter America's economic position in the world. With a little more research he could put this idea together in great detail and present it to President Jinping. But for the plan to work, somehow the Cartels would have to agree to work together. They have forever been bitter enemies of each other, constantly fighting for control of territories. Could this plan ever work? First, he knew he would have to return to China and lay out his proposal. Control of America hangs in the balance.