they call themselves keepers of the covenant, the illuminati, god's one true church. believed to be wiped out in the 4th century, they survived in secret and spread around the globe, ultimately becoming rich and powerful, manipulating governments and influencing world events from behind the scenes. owen powell is the arbiter, the ultimate authority and enforcer in disputes between the covenant's 12 great houses. a former u.s. army ranger and intelligence officer, extensively trained in the martial arts and educated in the best universities, he was carefully groomed to be one of the most powerful men in the world. the problem is he doesn't know it because his father was murdered before passing on the family legacy. at the dawn of the third millennium, covenant leaders meet to discuss an ominous prophecy. the arbiter will wake and the fate of humankind will hinge on a choice he will have to make. two women, both brilliant and beautiful, are out to win powell's love. one of them wants him to become the great man she knows he can be, the other wants to steal the source of his greatness. as powell learns of his legacy, covenant factions vie to bend him to their own designs. little do they know the perils they face when they wake the snow leopard.