President Hinton now confronts the tragic loss of her husband. She faces not only his death but also the task of raising their unborn child alone, something the two of them had not anticipated.

Balancing the emotional impact of her husband’s aircraft and 31 passengers’ mysterious disappearance with the daily demands of her presidency, Hinton concludes that invoking the 25th Amendment is not an option. Supported by her capable Vice President, overwhelming backing from her party, ACTION 2100, and a majority of voters, Hinton successfully uncovers and thwarts a clandestine Chinese plan to detonate a nuclear device on the West Coast to cripple the country’s high-tech sector and shut down major West Coast ports.

She is also under political pressure from her predecessor – now an ally – to locate and rescue the missing spouse of the recently murdered American Ambassador to Colombia from a rogue drug cartel.

Hinton has little time to dwell on her personal crisis. There are moments at night when the walls seem to close in on her, and her grief threatens to overwhelm her.