Computer mogul James Perrein has been arrested on a charge of selling world-shaking encryption technology to the Chinese in violation of US law. For criminal attorney Rebecca Verona, it's an opportunity to advance her career and her firm's status. It also means defending a man she doesn't trust—a man who was once her lover. It was for Perrein that Rebecca ended her relationship with David Zuckerman, the prosecuting attorney who has just been assigned to the case.

At the heart of Rebecca's defense is her hired gun: expert witness Radovan Terescu, who claims he can prove that the computer chip Perrein allegedly sold cannot possibly yet exist. Then Zuckerman and the prosecution drop their first bombshell: they have the actual chip. And it may be a major threat to America's security.

The worlds of high-stakes law, international intrigue, and cutting-edge technology combine to create a novel of unrelenting suspense.