Early 1989: in the USSR communism is about to collapse. In China civil war is brewing. And an American archaeologist is about to discover an extraordinary secret. Dr Sally Parsons' ambition to excavate the tomb of the ruthless first emperor of China is dashed when she is mysteriously fired from the project. Then Sally agrees to deliver a computer disk to a contact in China - in return for access to the tomb. But the explosive secret the disk reveals is a prize worth killing for. If she survives, Sally's dream of an unprecedented archaeological coup might be within her grasp - but it could turn into a nightmare for millions.