A fabulously wealthy Chinese businessman is making a fortune smuggling Chinese immigrants. Dirk Pitt becomes suspicious and begins to track him. The trail leads him from Washington to Louisiana where the villain is building a huge shipping port - apparently in the middle of nowhere. Pitt's continuing investigation reveals that his instincts were right - he is on the tail of a master villain and not only lives are at stake. Dirk Pitt must stop him at all costs.