Michael Thorne meets with a French spy to talk about a nuclear warhead floating around on the black market. It's an easy assignment, right up to the moment someone tries to kill him. He survives, but there are complications. The trail of the bomb leads to Serbia and the dark stain of Srebrenica.

During a fleet exercise on the China Sea, the flagship of the Chinese Navy is torpedoed and sunk with all hands. It looks like she was attacked by a submarine from Taiwan. But what if it wasn't Taiwan? If they didn't do it, who did? Who wants to start a war? Thorne is posted to Taipei, where things aren't always what they appear to be.

The Chinese want revenge for the loss of their ship. They're ready to invade Taiwan and plan a first strike on America if Washington comes to the island's aid. As the world nears the point of no return, Thorne may be the only hope to prevent nuclear Armageddon.