Brigadier Ben-Zev of Israeli intelligence has penetrated Iran to determine whether or not the Tehran government has indeed developed ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads capable of destroying Israel. A trained physicist, Ben-Zev confirms that such missiles are ready for launch in an underground facility that cannot be bombed from the air.The prime minister of Israel, David Abulafia, confers with key ministers and authorizes a commando raid on the Iranian missile facility and the bombing of biological weapon vans in the area. The novel is an account of those operations, which are aided by a general of the Iranian army who is in internal rebellion against the regime.Ben-Zev's passionate relationship with Andrea is a subplot in the story.