After the Democratic presidential nomination is stolen by the Senate Majority Leader in a credentials fight at the convention, the moderate California governor shocks the political establishment by launching an independent bid for the presidency. The FBI and the Justice Department open a criminal investigation into the credentials dispute while the Republican candidate, the incumbent vice-president, seems to be coasting to victory in the topsy-turvy three-way presidential race. But nothing in this race is as easy or as simple as it seems: A well-financed terrorist leads a dedicated band of followers in an attempt to inflict damage on the United States severe enough to make 9/11 look like a minor event -- and in this election year, he knows just how to do it.The first African-American presidential nominee in history is badly hobbled by a conservative revolt led by a politically savvy religious broadcaster. A conflict looms with a newly nuclear Iran, and the lame-duck President plans a military strike against that nation. A sex scandal on the eve of the election sends the campaign into chaos. As the election nears, the potential seems large for a cliff-hanger finish in which no candidate wins a majority of the electoral vote. Will the election be thrown into the House of Representatives, where a shrewd and devious Speaker is torn between his voracious ambition and his constitutional duty?