In this thrilling tale by bestselling adventure author Clive Cussler, Dirk Pitt confronts an intriguing yet sinister villain, navigating treacherous underwater landscapes and perilous above-sea missions, all while uncovering a web of deception that threatens the very fate of the world.A mysterious plague in the Antarctic... A diamond empire run by an evil genius... A devastating new technology that threatens to annihilate millions... In January 2000, NUMA Special Projects Director Dirk Pitt is called to unravel the mysterious deaths of thousands of marine animals on a remote island in the Antarctic Peninsula. But when he arrives, he uncovers a far more chilling scene: a group of tourists, led by the beautiful Maeve Fletcher, trapped in a deserted whaling station after a tragic incident claims the lives of their cruise ship's crew and other passengers. But this shocking discovery is only the beginning... As Pitt digs deeper, he finds himself engulfed in the dark operation of Maeve's estranged father, Arthur Dorsett, the ruthless head of the global diamond cartel, Dorsett Consolidated Mining. The ingenious Pitt must race to thwart Dorsett's callous plans, before it's too late. From a heart-pounding escape at a high-security Canadian mine to a perilous journey on a tiny boat in shark-infested waters, Dirk Pitt will stop at nothing to save countless innocent lives--both human and animal--from an unimaginable and impending disaster.