Dr. Alexander Hakimian's life is idyllic by any measure. Alec is a world-renowned brain surgeon, married to an intelligent and beautiful wife, and the father of a young, precocious daughter. But his life is profoundly transformed in a nanosecond when he receives a phone call from the director of the National Security Agency. The NSA has come calling for Alec because, as a former CIA deep non-official cover, or NOC, he possesses a unique skill set. The war on terror is threatening the lives of every American. Armed with a top-secret Executive Order from the president, Alec is tasked with ridding the world of one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations and its maniacal leader. Alec leads Operation Star 9, a clandestine black operations unit specifically assembled for the daunting task. They cross the great expanses of the Middle East in a relentless search for the Khamsin terrorist organization, named for the ferocious desert wind that blows across the region. It is led by the elusive al-Ankabut, or Spider, who weaves a web of death and destruction unparalleled in modern history, with worldwide Islamic hegemony as his ultimate goal. Facing a terminally terrorist-ridden world, Alec must track down the Spider and prevent his plans from coming to fruition at all costs.