The USS America, the most technologically advanced nuclear-powered submarine ever built, is hijacked in front of hundreds of people gathered to watch its departure on its first operational cruise. As the sub disappears into the North Atlantic, the joint chiefs realize that America carries the United States' newest weapon: cruise missiles with electromagnetic pulse warheads designed to fry every electronic device within a ten-mile radius. Within hours, missiles from the sub rain down on Washington, D.C., starting a massive fire in the White House, bringing down jet-liners, and destroying nearly all the electronic devices in the nation's capital. Called upon to find the rogue sub, Jake Grafton must determine who is behind the carnage, what they want, and most importantly, how to stop them.