Michael Westen is a former covert agent for the U.S. government who finds his life flipped upside down when an operation goes seriously wrong. He flees to his hometown of Miami and discovers that all of his government contacts have gone dark and his personal bank account has been frozen. Westen discovers that a “burn notice” has been put out on him by someone high up in the chain of command and all his contacts have been forced to sever ties with him. Additionally, if he leaves Miami, the higher-ups will take him into custody and make his life a living hell.