Bracing the blizzard, General Marchenko glares at the searchlight on top of the concrete wall. Behind him, his family cower in silence. He touches the revolver on his hip. If he has led them into a trap, he will end it there and then; the alternative being too horrific to contemplate...

February, 2022.

The world teeters on the brink of war. The Russian build-up of troops on the Ukrainian and EU borders continues unabated. In a last-ditch effort to avert the pending war, Colonel Thomas Bauer - NATO Military Intelligence - parachutes into the Kurdish mountains. His mission: establish the facts surrounding the destruction of the gas supply line in Turkey.

Thousands of kilometres away, Major Svetlana Nikolaeva investigates the mysterious deaths of four Cuban prison guards linked to the deceased Niall McGuire - her old nemesis. But as a counter-intelligence officer in Russia's FSB, she has a far more important role to fulfil than playing detective. Their deaths are of little concern.

Carrying out their missions, throws them on a course neither can control. As Svetlana's life crumbles around her and Thomas's objectives slip further and further away, the world edges towards chaos...