Three caches of enigmatic jewels are discovered in Asia, artifacts from an extraterrestrial crash that bear a disturbing capability to alter time. Special Agent James Gilmour must overcome his distrust of his assignment and travel through space and time to prevent the Russian-led Confederation of Independent States from assembling a temporal superweapon from these jewels to conquer not just the world, but history itself. Deep in the Pacific Ocean, the spacecraft has been waiting two centuries for this moment, when humanity finally awakens to a greater destiny. The Confederation has other ideas. It possesses Strela, a new class of missile, thanks to the jewels, that can bring the spacecraft's secrets home to Russia. A new World War--and World Order--is imminent. If Gilmour succeeds, no one will know. If he fails, no one will be around to know.