Dirk Pitt and his intrepid associates have been thrust into the midst of a Chinese plot to get ahead of the rest of the world with a rocket capable of incredible speed. Their problem is that the rocket goes so fast the missile melts mid-flight. The source of the propulsion seems to be a material derived from unusual meteorites that bombarded earth's atmosphere at unusually high speed. These meteorites have been used by the Tibetans to create rare, special religious objects now displayed in a few museums around the world. Recent attempts have been made to steal these objects from the museums in order to obtain a source of the element.
Dirk Pitt, the adventurous director of NUMA, the National Underwater and Marine Agency, had been conducting a scientific survey in the Luzon Strait with Al Giordino, Assistant Special Projects Director of NUMA, aboard the Calidonia, the large research vessel operated by NUMA. Sent by the vice-president to retrieve the debris from one of the ill-fated Chinese rockets, Dirk Pitt and his associates run afoul of mysterious, ruthless Chinese commandos who are on the hunt for the same coveted meteorite material.
While searching for the debris in the NUMA submersible, Dirk Pitt and his companion searcher, Al Giordino, are struck by a powerful underwater force that sends them end over end through deep, turbulent waters that leaves them unconscious in their overturned submersible on the bottom of the seafloor. Intrepid as they are, they awake to a wrecked but barely serviceable vehicle though they manage to rise to the surface of the ocean unharmed.
In the meantime, the ruthless and cruel Chinese commandos set about damaging the Caledonia such that the captain must set out for the nearest port, leaving Pitt and Giordino on their own in the middle of a turbulent and typhoon pitched sea.
The circumstances are daunting, the black clad Chinese determined, and mysteries left to be explored and revealed. With unending ingenuity, Dirk Cussler leads us through suspense and danger as we hang on every word trusting that we'll discover a resolution that will satisfy our curiosity and sense of justice as Dirk Pitt and his companions fight the good fight and emerge on top.
