As on India's border a weapon of mass destruction is released, far away in Washington DC a well-dressed man in a Porsche is detained by plain-clothed cops, and a killer waits in a dark hallway for a beautiful woman to return home. Richard Whelan, the President's security adviser, is tough, smart - and black. He knows how to play White House political games, but is about to get a refresher course when framed for a brutal murder. Whelan is suddenly a fugitive on the run, a pawn in a chilling conspiracy, yet the only man able to prevent a nuclear holocaust. If only he can stay alive.