One of the most feared terrorists in the world, known as the Scorpion, presents a plan to the Grand Ayatollah of Iran for a terrorist attack against the United States. No terrorist ever captured has seen or spoken directly to the Scorpion. The plan will take many years to develop, but it is beyond anything the U.S. has prepared for or thought possible. The Ayatollah believes that the success of the attack will so cripple The Great Satan that he will be able to mobilize the world's one billion Muslims into a world-wide Holy War against a weakened America. John Murphy, the director of the New York office of Homeland Security, while following up intelligence leads regarding the Scorpion, enlists the help of his life-long friend, Tim Shannon, a seasoned covert operative, to help track him down. Shannon follows the Scorpion's trail from Istanbul through the Middle East and Europe as the Scorpion initiates his attack against the United States. Shannon and Murphy must find the Scorpion and stop the terrorist attack before it destroys the heart and soul of America. Their best lead comes in the form of a cryptic note from an unlikely source outside the intelligence community.