Hundreds of people have gathered to watch the launching of the U.S.S. America - the United States' newest and most sophisticated nuclear submarine. Then, the unthinkable happens: armed men emerge from the tugboat that is leading her to sea, board the submarine, and man her controls. Before the destroyers nearby can react, the sub disappears. Admiral Jake Grafton is resting at his Delaware beach house when he is asked to find out who has stolen the submarine and why. He learns that a rogue CIA group, originally trained to steal a Russian submarine, may be behind the operation. And soon it becomes clear that, whatever their purpose, they mean business: within hours a missile launched from the submarine destroys the top floor of the White House and a second missile knocks out the electrical power in the heart of Washington and fells an airliner. The race is on to find the submarine, determine who is behind the nightmare scenario and - most critically - how to stop it.