El Dorado County, California, 1969 Nineteen steps below their darkened room a battle raged. Before the night was over, the lives of two brothers would be changed forever. Thirty years later, prominent San Francisco attorney Dominic Graves sits in his office overlooking the Bay and scowls at a greeting card with primitive Mayan art on its cover. He flips it open. Below the printed words "Feliz cumpleanos" is a familiar scrawl: "Happy birthday, brother. Love, Ted." He tosses it into the trash can and stares out the window at the bustling city. His hand trembles as he lifts a glass of scotch and takes another sip.

Two thousand miles away, Ted Graves strolls through the bountiful Veracruz marketplace. Around him, people crowd the roadside displays while festive guitar music fills the tropical air. He spots a man in a Pontiac watching him and, still clutching his bag of produce, darts through the marketplace to escape. At the end of a street, he meets a dead end. Cornered and out of breath, Ted turns and faces his pursuer. The past has returned.".