The world is peering into the terrifying chasm of a new kind of conflict, where computers take over from missiles and global damnation comes at the click of a button. Cyber-warfare: the kind that brings nations to their knees, switching off energy lifelines, crippling the financial markets, starving leaders of authority.

An old Russian nuclear reactor goes into Chernobyl-style meltdown, while on the other side of the world, the US Eastern Seabord is plunged into darkness. Nobody knows -- yet -- who is responsible for the chaos. Hidden from the rest of the world, an extraordinary meeting of the US President, the Russian President and the British Prime Minister is about to take place. They have the weekend to save the world -- and they must do it alone. Meanwhile something serious is going on in Beijing: it looks as though the Chinese are preparing for the final thrust against their old enemies, bringing them to their knees without a single shot being fired...