President Jack Ryan is dealing with an aggressive challenge from the Chinese government. Pawns are being moved around a global chessboard, an attack on an oil platform in Africa, a terrorist attack on an American destroyer and a storm-tossed American spy ship that may fall into Chinese hands. It seems that Premier Zhou is determined to limit Ryan’s options in the upcoming G20 negotiations.

But there are hints that there’s even more going on behind the scene. A routine traffic stop in rural Texas leads to a shocking discovery—a link to a Chinese spy who may have information that leads to an unexpected revelation. John Clark and the members of the Campus are in close pursuit, but can they get the information in time?