When the Triple Nickel force is sent to investigate rumors of al-Qaeda fighters sneaking into Afghanistan from Pakistan, they hit the jackpot. Sheikh Abu Hassan, the new al-Qaeda leader in Afghanistan, is in a safe house and the men of ODA 555 have the opportunity to nail this top-priority target. But their daring will lead them into conflict with a rogue band of CIA officers - and put the Triple Nickel at the site of the first Iranian nuclear test.