Jimmy Dawson, wrongly convicted of a crime he did not commit, has just been released from the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth Kansas. His early release was facilitated by Mark Ferguson, a retired Air Force Colonel. But Colonel Ferguson wants something in return. Being a convicted military felon with a dishonorable discharge, Jimmy's options are limited, so he decides to take Colonel Ferguson up on his offer and join The Defenders. In the shadows of the Las Vegas strip, The Defenders is a clandestine group that operates on the fringes of the law. They do the dirty work the police are unable or unwilling to do. Supported by Alan Saliba, a disgraced ex-CIA field operative, and Clarence Jones, his former cell mate in Leavenworth, Jimmy travels the western United States to protect the innocent from the evil that hides in plain sight.