Peace may finally be at hand in the Middle East ? as Deputy Director of the CIA, Jack Ryan, lays the groundwork for a peace plan that could end centuries of conflict. But ruthless terrorists have a final, desperate card to play: they have their hands on a nuclear weapon and have placed it on American soil in the midst of an escalation in tension with the Soviet Union. The terrorists hope to rekindle cold war animosity and prevent reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. With one terrible act, distrust mounts, forces collide, and the floundering US president seems unable to cope with the crisis. With the world on the verge of nuclear disaster, Ryan must frantically seek a solution ? before the chiefs of state lose control of themselves and the world.