Eli Rose has spent the second half of the 1980's living "off the grid" in Costa Rica, trying to escape the demons of his past. Unfortunately, his less than idyllic existence is about to be shattered by the beautiful and mysterious Mai Lee Jones, sent by her uncle to hire Eli to find a priceless Han Dynasty carving. But it soon becomes clear that this job is not what it appears to be, as Eli and Mai Lee fight for survival in the dense jungle of northern Vietnam. The Next Best Man is a story of betrayal, survival, and redemption in a time of political upheaval in Southeast Asia.