The Korean Demilitarized Zone, 1970s: A battered corpse is found a few feet north of the line dividing North and South Korea. When 8th Army CID Agents George Sueno and Ernie Bascom are ordered by superiors to pull the body to South Korean side, they have no idea of the international conflict the action will spark. Before war breaks out, they must discover who killed Corporal Noh Jong-bae, a young Korean civilian augmented to the US Army who had few enemies. But the murderer could be from either side of the DMZ, and if it turns out to be North Korea, how can two US military agents interrogate witnesses? What George and Ernie discover gets them pulled off the case, but they continue to look into Corporal Noh's death against orders, fearing they've put the wrong man behind bars.