In the novel, President Jack Ryan and The Campus must stop North Korean leader Choi Ji-hoon from developing his country's nuclear weapons program.

[2] Supreme Leader of North Korea Choi Ji-hoon wants to develop his country's nuclear weapons program, but is being hindered by sanctions from the United States and its allies.

General Ri then arranges for mining to begin in the city of Chongju, where a large deposit of rare-earth minerals has been recently discovered; the profits produced would then be used to fund the nuclear weapons program.

As a result, Choi and General Ri arrange for the assassination of U.S. President Jack Ryan, who has been an obstacle to their plan, to be done at his upcoming state visit in Mexico City; they later secure the services of an Iranian bombmaker named Adel Zarif and the Maldonado cartel.

Publishers Weekly praised the book as "meticulously researched and exciting" and added that "The sympathetic portrayal of many of the characters opposed to America adds depth.

"[6] Kirkus Reviews praised Greaney, who "delivers a story reminiscent of the older Clancy novels by showing evidence of a deep understanding of spycraft, current events, and the natures of the people who work in the shadows, at the desk and on the front lines.