A promising young boxer is beaten and left nearly dead. Arriving at the hospital, August and Chase intercept a hitman who attempts to finish the kid off with a lethal injection. They pursue the would-be killer through the hospital, finally stopping him with a jolt from a set of defribulator pads. Immediately, they sense that this case involves more than a random beating. August is visited by his former boxing coach, Frank, to whom he hasn't spoken since their falling out many years before. Frank says that he must tell August a secret that has been haunting him. But before he can reveal what he knows, Frank turns up dead, plunging the detectives further into mystery.

A Western memorabilia collector is found murdered, and among the victim's belongings is a laptop containing August's name. August figures out that his name was listed among the descendants of Buffalo Soldiers, a special troop of black soldiers that fought during the Civil War. This brings up a part of August's past that he is ashamed to discuss: his great-great-great-grandfather, Augustus Brooks, was given a dishonorable discharge from the Army when he allegedly deserted his troop with three other soldiers, claiming to have been given a map leading to a gold mine that was never proven to exist. August's Aunt Maisie is attacked in her home by a thug, hired to steal a portion of the old map. The pieces have been handed down to each generation, and now someone is attempting to put the pieces together and lay claim to the gold.