Still incensed over the politicians' failure to develop a winning strategy for vietnam, veteran james benton stark retires from the defense intelligence agency at the pentagon to his quiet farm in central virginia. but stark's ire only increases when an immensely popular u.s. president escapes implication with a recently revealed scheme to accept campaign contributions from chinese intelligence agents in exchange for foreign policy considerations. in response, stark joins a fiercely patriotic group known as the virginia militia led by billionaire claiborne randolph. at first stark thinks all he'll do is drink a lot of randolph's bourbon and complain about the government. but when a beautiful chinese army defector and her russian case officer begin to unravel the conspiracy, stark becomes embroiled in a magnificent plot to restore the true meaning of the constitution of the united states. the unthinkable happens when communist china threatens the united states with nuclear holocaust. the nation is near panic, and the u.s. military is under total mobilization. but the virginia militia knows who is behind the scheme. and this time, mindful of the failures of the korean war, vietnam, and the first gulf war, stark won't lose.