Seeking information that might lead him to his former CIA handler, Ethan Shaw travels to Australia in the company of Julian Echo, the legendary covert operative who helped Shaw escape certain death in Africa. But the disappearance of Echo's contact in Sydney draws Shaw into an escalating battle with mercenary forces, agents seeking access to a secret and subversive computer program that offers control over the kind of information that can topple governments and enslave citizens. Tracking the missing man, Shaw encounters a beautiful and mysterious young woman with ties not only to Echo's associate, but to the technology at the heart of the danger. Meanwhile, the chase leads from Australia to Thailand to Chicago, forcing Shaw to confront not only his new opponents, but his reasons for pursuing his former handler.