Four thousand pounds of it. Uncut. Blanketing meadows and treetops. Knocking birds from the sky, dropping carriage horses to the pavement, and cutting a swath of death through the thousands of unsuspecting joggers, cyclists, and picnickers enjoying a summer afternoon in Central Park.

So begins the war between Joaquín Alboroto, the most powerful drug lord on the planet, and his most hated enemy: the city of New York. But the only NYPD unit trained to go up against this level of terrorism has been disbanded, and the new police commissioner is a bureaucrat, not a wartime commander.

The task falls on the shoulders of former NYPD captain Danny Corcoran. A trusted friend recruits Corcoran to a team of top cops—all retired. Funded by four anonymous billionaires, their mission is to stop Alboroto before his next “gift” to the city leaves a million New Yorkers blind.