decades ago, when he was a young CIA analyst, President Jack Ryan, Sr. was sent on what was supposed to be a simple support mission to investigate the death of an operative who was looking into the suspicious activities at a Swiss bank. Ryan's dogged efforts uncovered not only financial deceit but also the existence of a KGB assassin code named Zenith. Still he was never able to find the killer. Yet in the shadowy world of covert operations, nothing stays hidden forever.
 In the present, a new strongman has emerged in the ever-chaotic Russian Republic, the enigmatic President Valeri Volodin.. His rise to power has been mediocre but shrouded in deception and treachery. The foundations of his personal empire are built on the bloody secret from his past, and he will eliminate anyone who comes close to that truth. For he has set in motion a plot to return Russia to its former might and glory, with the rest of the world once again trembling in fear of the mighty bear.
 
With president Ryan fighting a desperate campaign to thwart Russian aggression, and his son fighting a silent war against a ruthless foe, the chances for global conflict grow greater, and the possibility of survival may be soon lost for all...