Recently released from a South African prison, Rollo Runyan-a diamond smuggler and something of an educated rake-finds his latest contraband confiscated by a rascally Russian dealer. And now, to further a far more grandiose scheme, he has to get it back.

Runyan's mission to secure a parcel of emeralds takes him gallivanting all over the world. He meets an array of people but doesn't know if they are friends or enemies. In London, he stashes secret papers exposing a plot to sabotage Persian Gulf oil fields. On his way to Rio, he connects with three very different women who each play a significant role in his struggle to collect the emeralds. While flying over the Caribbean Sea, he must foil a midair hijacking, and in Tel Aviv, Runyan has to face a deadly showdown with Arab leaders terrified that their reign of wealth is at an end.

As he evolves from scoundrel to philanthropist, Runyan retains his reckless courage and wry humor. If only he could find a definitive answer to his one, burning question: just how much can be achieved with benevolent deceit?

A thrilling ride through some of the world's most exotic locales, Emerald Passage explores the gray area between right and wrong through the eyes of a new kind of hero: Rollo Runyan.