Cole McBride makes a chilling discovery while investigating a mysterious disease causing the deaths of endangered mountain gorillas in war-torn central Africa. When a humanitarian aid hospital nearby diagnoses a disturbingly similar human case, the former Special Forces veterinarian knows he must figure out how to stop this outbreak from spreading-before it blows up into a global pandemic. Halfway across the continent, a massive cargo ship moves out of Sudan's largest port. Buried deep within its hold is one container of urgent significance for its buyer in the Persian Gulf. And back in Washington, D.C., the owner of a Lebanese restaurant a stone's throw from the White House finds a cryptic message in the Drafts folder of his e-mail inbox. It's one week before Independence Day, and an unpopular president is preparing to host America's biggest celebration in years. There's just one small problem: he's not the only one with plans for the holiday. With the woman he loves sick and close to death, Cole puts his own life on the line in a race against time to discover the truth behind the outbreak's origin-a truth that will link it to one of humanity's most ancient plagues and threaten the very heart of America. This is how it happened.