A shrinking oasis in the Sahara Desert; an uninhabited Japanese island; and one country's secret stash of deadly chemical poisons: all these play roles in a relentlessly escalating crisis. Struggling to prevent the outbreak of world war are a young woman intelligence officer; a spy working undercover with jihadists; a brilliant Chinese spymaster; and Pauline Green, president of the United States, beleaguered by a populist rival for the next election. The new must-read epic from master storyteller Ken Follett.