The Exchange by John Grisham is a continuation of the novel The Firm. The Exchange starts 15 years after the incidents of The Firm, and the central character is Mitch, a renowned international lawyer living with his family in Manhattan, New York, the United States of America. Mitch is currently an associate of the world's largest law firm, Scully and Pershing, headquartered in New York. However, Mitch is frustrated by the progress of some of his cases. For instance, the Alabama and Tennessee case involving hardcore criminals is becoming more complex because one of his clients commits suicide in jail.
Mitch intends to quit practicing law, but his mentor, Luca Sandroni, requests him to undertake a case involving the Libyan government on his behalf. Luca is a partner of Scully and Pershing law firm but is currently dying of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, Luca cannot continue with his case, and he requests Mitch to help him complete the lawsuit. Luca's daughter, Giovanna, an associate of Scully and Pershingin's London branch, agrees to work alongside Mitch to ensure the Libyan lawsuit is concluded in time. In the Libyan case, a Turkish construction company sues the government for due arrears amounting to US$400 million. The case takes place in 2005, during the reign of Muammar Gaddafi.
The Turkish construction company claims it finished building the Great Gaddafi Bridge, but the government failed to pay as agreed. Mitch and Giovanna start pursuing the case, and their first assignment is to visit the construction site. However, Mitch develops stomach complications and requests Giovanna to see the bridge. When Giovanna visits the bridge, unknown people kidnap her, and they kill her drivers and guards. The kidnappers want US$100 for Giovanna's release, and any attempt to involve the police will result in her premature death.
The novel concludes with Mitch wondering if the Libyan government and Muammar Gaddafi are involved in Giovanna's kidnapping. The case becomes more complicated and dangerous for Mitch because he does not know whether he will be the next victim. The subsequent events shock Mitch and his wife, Abby, because witnesses in the Libyan case are murdered in mysterious circumstances.
