On the surface, Lotus Consulting was an advertising consultant to the nation's largest corporations. Secretly, it advises the militaries of England, France, Israel, and eventually the United States. Lotus director, the eccentric and reclusive Alex Miller, believes if the military would select the right people for its elite units, it could save time, resources, and reduce the number of "psychological casualties." Miller recruits college students, gives them crash courses on military tactics, and sends them on covert missions to test his theories. After three years only Thomas Stillcreek and Terrance Trammel, Duke University graduate students, have survived of the original Summer Jobs recruits. Miller submits his data to the Pentagon, receiving rave reviews.Fifteen years later, the Pentagon lures Miller from retirement to help with the growing problem of home-grown terrorism. This time, Stillcreek and Trammel turn the tables on Miller, making him pay for his callous indifference.