Pablo Escobar: billionaire drugs baron; ruthless manipulator brutal killer and jefe of the infamous Medellin cartel. A man whose importance in the international drug trade and renown for his charitable work among the poor brought him influence and power in his home country of Colombia and the unwanted attention of the American courts.

Terrified of the new Colombian President's determination to extradite him to America Escobar found the best bargaining tools he could find: hostages.

In the winter of 1990 ten relatives of Colombian politicians mostly women were abducted and held hostage as Escobar attempted to strong-arm the government into blocking his extradition. Two died the rest survived and from their harrowing stories Marquez retells with vivid clarity the terror and uncertainty of those dark and volatile months.