What seems to be a textbook child kidnapping becomes a tangled mess when it is revealed that the victim is the daughter of David Lao - an Asian crime lord who is currently under FBI investigation. To save the young girl's life, Matt and Emily must compromise the investigation, infuriating the Crime Division's Chief, and deal with a corrupt father who doesn't want their help. With two FBI teams on opposite sides of the same case and a kidnapper who is more experienced than he's revealing, Matt and Emily have their hands full at work while keeping some secrets from each other in the bedroom.
Matt Flaherty and Emily Lehman are top-ranked crisis negotiators in the FBI's Crisis Negotiation Unit who are trained to talk their way through volatile situations. They make an outstanding team professionally, but their relationship is a bit more precarious off the job. The series advances the fundamental idea that in life and in love "Everything is a negotiation".