Previously, in Occupant, Michelle Larson's husband loses his life in a tragic case of mistaken identity during a plot to take control of the CIA. The ones behind the attempted coup masterfully hide their identity and let an underling take the fall. In Resident, Evan Taylor takes the helm of a stunned agency and suspects there is still a traitor in his ranks. Not knowing who to trust, Taylor enlists help from outside sources. Michelle, a retired computer programmer, becomes his database manager, working out of her home in Baltimore; and Michael, her son, one of an elite strike force. Ernie Krell, a trusted senior manager, fights the Agency's lack of policy on citizen privacy and the use of questionable software for decision-making. His inability to police activities that should be under his control takes him on a journey of conscience. It takes him into the wrong company, into the wrong bed and into a murderous rampage. After months of training in the Costa Rican jungle, Michael discovers a passion for the thrill of the kill. He fears the power of the primal instinct and resigns, but repeatedly gets pulled back into situations where he must rely on deadly force to survive. Together, an unlikely camaraderie forms and develops as a team. The team is pitted against shrewd strategists and cold mercenaries terrorizing the core of the United States' security organizations.