in november, 1944, the japanese began launching 9,300 unmanned bomb-carrying balloons (fugo) that were carried east over the pacific ocean by the jet stream. the bombs were intended to drop over america and explode, causing forest fires, general panic and deaths. however, without a reliable guidance system, most of the balloons did not reach north america. the us government suppressed information about the project, and fortunately most of the bombs fell into the ocean or exploded harmlessly. only six deaths occurred. japan stopped the launches in 1945. now, almost 70 years later, a group of terrorists using modern computer technology and the latest gps guidance systems will try and succeed where the japanese failed. it will be up to an unlikely group, including the president, the national security advisor, the secretaries of defense for both the united states and russia, and the sister of the terrorist mastermind, herself a recent recruit for the cia, to find a way to stop one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on us soil.