Summoned to the nation's capital by a cryptic warning, criminologist Richard Wentworth uncovers an insidious plot brewing to violently overthrow the United States of America! Before he can swing into action as the Spider, Wentworth's worst fears are realized! On the floor of the Senate, a courageous Senator commits suicide. The President of the United States has been targeted for assassination! Official Washington is in the grip of a vicious Hindu death cult. Can even the Spider defang the Cobra? Or will the cult of Shiva the Destroyer come to rule America with talons of iron?