Driven to the brink of madness when the murderer of his wife and child is set free by the court system, ordinary working stiff truck driver and businessman, Rodney Adler, declares his own personal war on the party his insane mind believes responsible for this travesty of justice: the City of San Francisco. On a remote highway in rural Northern California he singlehandedly hijacks a load of radioactive fuel rods and sets about building a nuclear "dirty bomb" to destroy San Francisco's most recognizable landmark. The ensuing search for the stolen nuclear material brings hundreds of cops and government specialists into a nationwide investigation that leads across the entire country, and back to the Bay Area. As the investigation continues, newly promoted California Highway Patrol Captain Erin "Red" Wolff, call sign 34-C, has problems of her own to deal with. Thousands of demonstrators have descended on the Bay Area to protest an upcoming economic conference in San Francisco. Attending that meeting will be eight of the most powerful leaders in the world, including the President of the United States. Over the next five days, fate would put Rodney Adler and "Red" Wolff on a collision course that leads to the Golden Gate Bridge.