When twenty-seven-year-old Jared Philips lands a job as an engineer at the Apex Oil Refinery in Texas, he looks forward to the adventure. After all, his father worked around refineries most of his life and passed the passion and the knowledge onto Jared. One of the country's largest oil refineries, Apex Oil is the company's flagship refinery.

But it doesn't take Jared long to determine that not all is well in this competitive business environment. Top management is pressing the refinery to become more profitable. Downsizing, outsourcing, and neglected maintenance and improvement of the facilities are just some of the tactics employed to save money. Word is out that the plant isn't as well maintained as it has been in the past.

These allegations worry Jared, who has the best interests of the industry at heart. But his misgivings are not taken seriously by upper management, and disaster strikes. Jared is plunged into the depths of the drama of human existence, and he experiences firsthand the power of both human pain and heroism.