Orphans' Plight. Europe's Lost Children: A Tale of the Balkans and the European Union. - Europe's Lost Children

Elena Markovic, head of the European Union's Covert Action Service, has survived a Syrian warzone and a harrowing journey through the Balkan migrant corridor. Stranded in an abandoned house in Bosnia, she finds herself at the mercy of the Brutalists - a mysterious enemy determined to destroy the EU and empower the rise of Greater Serbia.

Twelve-year-old Ayoub, now an orphaned migrant, has been left to an uncertain fate in a squalid refugee camp. Although he has finally escaped a lifetime of abuse by his Islamic extremist father, his ordeal is far from over. Reuniting with Elena could be his only chance for survival - if he can get to her before the Brutalists finish her off.

Drago and the rest of the Covert Action Service team wonder if Elena is even still alive as they are tasked with tracking down the culprits behind a string of gruesome murders. As the CAS team investigates, they discover that the key to catching the perpetrators - and possibly learning the Brutalists' true identities - could be buried in their own childhood memories.

Old vendettas are about to be settled as the children of wartime rape join forces with terrorists and convicted war criminals in a diabolical plot to take down CAS and strike at the heart of Europe. Elena's friends and loved ones will be in the line of fire as they struggle to fight the Brutalists. The CAS team's most powerful weapon may be the realization that family and friendship are what matter most - maybe even enough for some of them to make the ultimate sacrifice.