After the demise of the Soviet Union, the newly established government privatises its industry by issuing vouchers to all of its citizens, giving them the chance to be shareholders in the country’s burgeoning businesses. For those living in abject poverty, the vouchers appear to be little more than pieces of paper. But for Texas businessman John Mills and his Czech companion, Petr Kovac, the chits suggest a lucrative potential. They travel to the furthest, coldest reaches of the country, roving from town to town with suitcases full of cash. The two men quickly learn that the plan has complications – the auctions at which these vouchers are traded for actual shares have been planned at the most remote locations possible to deter outsiders from buying in. And when the Russian mafia and oligarchs catch wind of their successes, the stakes suddenly become deadly.