In the midst of the Cold War, a secret project in the jungles of Central Africa threatens to ignite World War III....

Peterson is bewildered by the satellite photos in front of him. As head of the CIA, he is never supposed to be surprised, but what could be happening in Chad alarms him. The pictures show a small research installation, nestled in the African jungle, where a West German company claims to be building a base to launch communications satellites for use by developing African nations. But Peterson’s analysts tell him that the ordinary, innocent-looking silo is just the size necessary to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile into outer space.

If it’s nothing more than a harmless research project, why the armed guards? Why did they kill two of the agents the CIA sent to investigate, and capture another? And why are the Soviets interested? The answer to these questions is a single terrible secret - one that could lead to nuclear war.