Someone will stop at nothing to get a leather case belonging to a certain Dr. Egan, who has invented an engine that runs on seawater. First, these unknown villains sink Egan's cruise ship, killing the doctor but failing to obtain the case. It falls into the hands of fellow passenger Kelly Egan--the doctor's beautiful daughter. She is rescued from the sinking ship by Cussler's series hero Dirk Pitt, who happened to be in the area aboard his research vessel. Now Pitt finds himself, once again, at the center of a complex, high-tech, international thriller.