A thriller set against the Japanese Antarctic whaling industry. When a young American environmental activist throws himself in front of a harpoon meant for a whale, his friend, Mike Adams, vows to avenge his death. Adams manages to persuade the maverick John Blackwood, a retired naval officer, to help him in his quest. Together they find shadowy backers and recruit an international team to execute their dangerous plan to stop the whaling. The following year, a retired Australian submarine goes missing. In a desperate race against time, and fearing a major terrorist attack, security services across the globe attempt to track down and intercept the missing vessel. Adams and Blackwood’s quest takes them from the busy streets of London to the wide open spaces of Western Australia, and finally to the freezing wastes of the Antarctic, where they stalk their target and are, in turn, stalked by a US submarine with orders to kill them.