The bus in which former military police officer Jack Reacher is riding crashes. Because of the weather, all passengers are transported and housed in Bolton, South Dakota, for an indefinite period, where one of the largest prisons in the United States is located. Local residents and law enforcement operate according to the needs and requirements of the correctional facility. In the prison, there is a leader of a biker brotherhood awaiting trial on drug charges, so the police’s priority becomes protecting the only witness, Janet Solter.
A Mexican drug baron, Platon, sends an anonymous killer to eliminate all possible witnesses to the deal with the bikers. After the breakout, all police forces are sent to the prison—and Reacher is called in to protect Janet Solter. At the same time, over the phone he meets Major Susan Turner, the new commander of the 110th Military Police unit—whom he used to command. Jack helps track down the deserter and intends to meet Susan, whose voice he liked.
With the help of the military, Reacher learns that enormous supplies of methamphetamine are kept on territory belonging to the U.S. Army. He also reveals that the killer hired by Platon is Major Holland, the head of the local police, whom the drug baron blackmails with his daughter. Reacher kills Holland and Platon, who arrives for the drugs—and he miraculously survives an explosion in a mine.